In Nassim Soleimanpour’s newest theatrical endeavour, cold reads are taken to new heights in this mind-bending, heart-wrenching production
For the next few weeks at the Royal Court Theatre, a new actor will appear in every single performance of ECHO. This actor has never seen the show, nor have they read it. By all accounts, they have no idea what is going to happen. Neither do we, the audience.
The first brave soul to explore this strange theatrical scape is Adrian Lester. The stage is simple, bedecked with two screens, one horizontal and one vertical. There is a Persian rug, and a desk with a laptop. A curious interaction with a Siri-esque pre-recorded voice sets us up for what’s to come. Nassim appears on the horizontal screen, calling seemingly from his apartment in Berlin. He shows us around, greeting his wife, his dog, acquainting us with his family home. We learn about Nassim’s journey from Iran to Germany, a move he made a few years ago. We learn that the entirety of his and his wife’s, Shirin’s, family are still in Iran. We learn that he just received his German passport. We learn that he does not identify as a refugee, that he returns to Iran when he so desires. Or at least, he used to.
Initially, the call seems casual, a way for Nassim to participate in the production from afar. As time progresses, we tumble from Nassim’s home to an interrogation room in Iran. Adrian takes on the role of Nassim, signalling the audience’s presumed suspicion that Adrian is Nassim’s London-counterpart. By means of an earpiece feeding his lines or words appearing on the screen in front of him, Adrian Lester displays agility and deft skill, offering a sincere performance even in the face of total obscurity. From the interrogation room, we are transported around the world, from Nassim’s empty apartment in Tehran, to the snowy Swedish countryside. Cinema and theatre are blended seamlessly – it becomes entirely unbelievable that these interactions are not pre-recorded, and yet the characters on screen are clearly present with Adrian himself.
ECHO illustrates Nassim’s belief of theatre as a time capsule. As he mourns his present inability to return to his home, theatre becomes a vestige to return to back to a different time in the past, as well as transport us to a more hopeful future. The delicate heart that drives this play is intimately felt within the theatre. This is a play unlike you have seen it before, and yet it speaks to themes that feel like home to us all.
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