the encounter (w&d simon mcburney, d kirsty housley)

This is one of those, on the one hand, and then again, on the other hand, shows.

On the one hand:

McBurney weaves a sterling theatrical tale, adapted from Loren McIntyre’s account of his journey to the Amazon, where he experienced a profound and intoxicating encounter with a native tribe. An encounter wherein he flirted with death and was forced to face up to the meaning of his values, as he became engaged with the tribe’s anti-materialistic theology/ philosophy. The story is told via the use of headphones and dazzling technological manipulation of the theatrical space. Light, sound and little else are used to turn the vast Barbican stage into a convincing jungle, alien, terrifying and wondrous. McBurney pulls off a redoubtable one-man performance, taking the reins as the narrator himself, then slipping into the character of McIntyre, and alternating between the two with confidence and aplomb. 

On the other hand:

This is a piece of theatre which appears to be about the problems of materialism. At one point, the tribe which McIntyre is visiting destroy all their possessions. McBurney, as himself, then goes on a Lear-esque rant, wherein he proposes that we destroy all our possessions too. Or at least contemplate the possibility. Clearly it’s not going to happen, and much less as a result of a show which chooses to tell its story through the use of technology. Western theatre returns to its essential paradox of telling people who can afford to pay 50 quid for a seat a message which, no matter how worthy, is completely redundant. There’s something vaguely unsatisfying about the process, an itch being scratched which maybe only makes the rash worse. 

However, this might be to quibble in the face of history. Because at the end of the day, what McBurney pulls off is something which has a life and dynamism which you don’t always encounter in the theatre, and no matter the ins and outs of the context or the message, as a theatrical experience it feels radical and remarkable. Special mention should be made to the technical team, Gareth Fry and Pete Malkin who explore the potential of sound in the theatre with flair, as well as the design of Michael Levine and the lighting of Paul Anderson.