Swallowing Dark

Canaan thought he’d left the past in Zimbabwe, but then, out of the blue, Martha appears to reopen his case and with it, old wounds. Does she want the truth, or just a good story? And when lives depend on it, is the truth the best story to tell? In Lizzie Nunnery’s lyrical new play, fact, fiction and folklore collide to expose the lies we tell for the ones we love.

Directed with precision and depth, Paul Robinson’s production is beautiful, dark, funny and utterly engaging. Allyson Ava-Brown (Martha) and Wil Johnson (Canaan) give storming performances as they navigate and negotiate each other’s emotions and secrets - past and present. The general feel of the play is one taken from newspaper headlines and never really gets to the core of who did what to whom and why. But the realisation of this production swamps the somewhat simple tale with vivid video / projection, a visceral sound-scape, claustrophobic lighting and stunning performances from Ava-Brown and Johnson. For this alone, pop down to Theatre503 and see big things happening on a tiny stage.