Mnemonic is a play written and directed by Stroud-based Simon McBurney OBE, and performed by his co-founded theatre company Complicité, writes Abriella Bierer.
First premiered at the Lawrence Batley 25 years ago in Huddersfield, and revived two years later at Riverside Studios in London, including a world tour.
Luckily for audiences in 2024 it was revived again and I was fortunate enough to see it last month at The National Theatre.
Not forgetting his Stroud roots, McBurney generously organised and advertised on the POP UP – Stroud Music & Culture Book Club Facebook page, a trip for members of the Stroud community to attend the show in London, in some of the best seats in the theatre.
Arriving at one of the bus stops outside Stroud’s Vue cinema, we were greeted by a friend of Simon’s who was helping to organise the trip.
We were told that Simon would be meeting us all outside of the theatre when we arrived. And let me tell you, he could not have been kinder! Before everyone had even made it off the coach he was answering questions and speaking a bit about the play. His love for the play, alongside his excitement for us all to watch it, was clear from his enthusiasm and energy when talking to everyone. This is a man whose incredible talent matches his innate generosity towards others.
Soon enough everyone had taken their seats in the theatre, eagerly awaiting the fading of the house lights to signal the commencement of the show. Alas, before this could happen, a man (Khalid Abdalla – The Crown) walked onto the stage. No one was quite sure exactly what was going on – had there been a technical glitch, is the show being cancelled, is he a warm up act? Apart from Abdalla and an old wooden chair, the stage was empty, yet everyone was completely entranced- (house lights still on).
A fast-paced, zipping monologue began where Abdalla imparted how he was born in Scotland but doesn’t have the stereotypical ‘Mc’ in front of his last name to show for it, relaying his own origin story and memories of his existence. This led to a good introduction to what was about to follow next.
Abdalla’s energy and enthusiasm had audiences leaning forward in their seats, completely enraptured by his words. The audience were then directed to a pouch located on the armrest of every seat, revealing an eye mask and leaf inside. Everyone was asked to put the mask on and then feel the leaf. “What sort of weird play is this?”.
Abdalla led the audience through a sort of guided visualisation, where audience members were invited to imagine their parents, grandparents and great grandparents lining up behind them, hundreds of ancestors all leading back to centuries ago.
We were to imagine ourselves as children, parents holding our hands, making links between all our ancestors that have all led up to our own existence. This resulted in a mixture of responses from the audience, some cried, some smiled, some were taken aback. It demonstrated that like a leaf has many interconnecting veins, highlighting our connection to the wider world and community- no matter how small those connections may be.
Mnemonic takes you on a journey using parallel storylines. It follows the story of a man called Virgil (played by Khalid Abdalla) in his search for his partner Alice ( played by Eileen Walsh, but ironically played in 2001 production by fellow Stroudie and RATS Director Susan Lynch, who is desperately trying to find her long-lost father. This simultaneously runs alongside the true story about the discovery of Iceman ‘Ötzi’ who was found in the early 1990s, believed to have lived around 5,000 years ago.
Although they may seem contrasting narratives, McBurney interweaved them in an engaging and thought provoking manner through linking both stories focus on human origin.
The renewal of this play for a new generation of theatre-goers extended into the spoken word through its updated references to more current events, such as Brexit, the Ukrainian war and 9/11. This revival wasn’t just a reflection of the original Mnemonic production, but of the world’s development since.
People have changed, technology is increasingly rooted into our society, events have shaken the world – all of which McBurney captured in a nuanced, yet reflective manner through its referencing to recent events and increased use of technology such as fake snow machines, live rolling cameras projecting close-up snippets of the onstage performances onto a back screen, heightened use of lighting and HD projections.
Every single element of the production had a meaning, every staging choice was purposeful. Onstage elements which might at first seem ordinary and un-noteworthy, transform into something magical and astounding.
An audience arrives as individuals but leaves with a sense of becoming one, through sharing the creative experience. It is a fundamental way to record and comment on our history and on human experience-something which Complicité captured beautifully. I walked out reminded of why I love the theatre and why acting is the career I have chosen to enter into. McBurney’s ability to create a play that seamlessly displayed actors’ talents whilst creating a thought provoking and engaging story is testament to him as a director, a writer and an artist.
So, Simon McBurney OBE, on behalf of all of us that had the pleasure of joining this trip, thank you.
I can confidently say that we all cannot wait to see what Complicité has in store for the future.
REVIEW: Abriella Bierer
