December 12, 2008
The world is going to end on 21st December 2012.
In this well-paced and engaging one-man show, Bill Aitchison explores the world of the conspiracy theory in which nothing, and no one, is quite what they seem.
The piece is presented as a series of apparently unconnected accounts and observations with Bill “channel hopping” between the different strands, often in mid-sentence. One moment he’s forecasting the end of the world with the aid of Mayan astronomy; the next, he’s asking awkward questions about a Saddam Hussein novel or exploring the role of dogs in international politics.
Whilst this structure gives 2012 the potential to be disjointed, it actually flows very easily. This fluidity is achieved through the combination of Bill Aitchison’s skills as a performer and a well-judged use of space, sound and lighting.
If the piece has a weakness, it is probably the writing. Although occasionally thought provoking (“a war on terror makes as much sense as a war on melancholy”), I felt that, given the subject matter, it would have benefited from a slighter stronger script. It would have been good to leave the theatre feeling just a little more paranoid.
At just over an hour, this show would be a good one to combine with a late meal in town: Aitchison’s performance is well worth seeing.
In this well-paced and engaging one-man show, Bill Aitchison explores the world of the conspiracy theory in which nothing, and no one, is quite what they seem.
The piece is presented as a series of apparently unconnected accounts and observations with Bill “channel hopping” between the different strands, often in mid-sentence. One moment he’s forecasting the end of the world with the aid of Mayan astronomy; the next, he’s asking awkward questions about a Saddam Hussein novel or exploring the role of dogs in international politics.
Whilst this structure gives 2012 the potential to be disjointed, it actually flows very easily. This fluidity is achieved through the combination of Bill Aitchison’s skills as a performer and a well-judged use of space, sound and lighting.
If the piece has a weakness, it is probably the writing. Although occasionally thought provoking (“a war on terror makes as much sense as a war on melancholy”), I felt that, given the subject matter, it would have benefited from a slighter stronger script. It would have been good to leave the theatre feeling just a little more paranoid.
At just over an hour, this show would be a good one to combine with a late meal in town: Aitchison’s performance is well worth seeing.