In my final “About an Hour’ excursion for the Sydney Festival, last night I had the pleasure of attending Anthony Black‘s one man show Invisible Atom, a hit of the Edinburgh Fringe, and a production of the 2b theatre company (Nova Scotia).
At its heart, Invisible Atom is an exercise in storytelling. Told on a stage roughly one-metre-square, Anthony shows the power of an enthralling story, accompanied by the expertise (and simplicity) of utilising light, sound and even slight of hand to create a deceptively expansive and complex environment. All the while, Anthony embodies multiple characters, of multiple accents and attitudes. It’s this manner of storytelling which relies heavily on the imagination of the audience, but never for a second do you feel this is too much of an ask. Black provides you with all the tools you need.
Without giving too much away, the journey begins with what one might call “hand puppetry” – Anthony’s protagonist represented by his fingers, getting prepared to jump off a bridge. At this very moment, Anthony is given a “fraction of a fraction of a fraction… of a fraction of a second” to look back on what brought him to this point; a moment to reflect on his life – and it is reflection that Anthony tells in vivid detail over the next hour.
The story is as moving as it is enthralling. The dialogue is explicate, fast paced, and occasionally scientifically pleasing – the sort of thing you’d expect from Aaron Sorkin. It’s a script which Black embodies with passion and precision – as he should, having also written the piece!
If you’re looking for a “perfect” example of how a one man show can hit the scale of excellence spot on, then you needn’t look further than Invisible Atom. A superb finale to what has been a wonderful About an Hour season for 2011.
Remaining Performances:
January 25, 27, 29 at 7pm
January 27, 29 at 10pm
January 28 at 4pm
January 30 at 1pm
