London.

JERICHO’S ROSE

By Lilac Yosiphon

3***

The Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 1RL to 3 November 2018.

Tues-Sat 7.45pm

70 mins No interval.

TICKETS: 0333 666 3366.

www.thehopetheatre.com

Review: William Russell 19 October.

@Reviewsgate

@Pursuivant

Curiouser and curiouser

A young woman writer is making a journey to Tel Aviv where her grandfather, also a writer is living. She is waiting for permission to come to Britain, he is in a retirement home suffering from Alzheimers. In a strange, hypnotic, dreamlike world she tries to connect with the old man, who asks the same questions over and over again. The sole performer is the author, Lilac Yosiphon, and she makes the character shifts from granddaughter to grandfather with admirable skill,aided by well crafted off stage recorded voices, sometimes as herself, sometimes as the old man. She is backed by a weird musical sound track composed by Same Elwin, who is at the side of the acting area with a guitar to interject live musical phrases to complement the action.

Jericho’s Rose is about belonging, about not knowing where you are, or what you want, about a past half remembered, a present in limbo and a future longed for as well as about things forgotten. Yosiphon, a mesmeric performer, holds the stage with great assurance. In many ways it is a puzzling evening, but it is also very moving when the old man keeps asking the same questions and failing repeatedly to remember the answers he has just been given. There are alsosome powerful projections which illustrate the state of mind of someone who is out of touch with the real world.

Performer: Lilac Yosiphon.

Director: Lilac Yosiphon.

Co-Directors: Mike Cole & Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster.

Composer & Musician: Sam Elwin.

Lighting Designer & Projections: Will Monks.

Movement: Annie-Lunette Deakin Foster.

Dramaturg: Mike Cole.

Production Photographs: Lidia Crisafulli.