Two bellringers prepare to ring the church bells as what feels like the end of days is coming.
If you ring hard enough, can the bells of God’s temple dispel the end of days?
Daisy Hall’s debut play “Bellringers”, directed by Jessica Lazar, hits the Roundabout stage at Summerhall as part of Edinburgh Fringe. A two-hander set in an undisclosed rural town at an undisclosed time in the past, this show playfully ruminates on our current obsession with the approach of Judgement Day to demonstrate that maybe we’ve always felt like the end is coming.
Aspinall, played by Paul Adeyefa, and Clement, played by Luke Rollason, reach the bell tower of the church on a stormy, stormy night, assigned to scare away the anger of the Devil with their mighty tolls. For the next hour, the thunder and lightning steadily approaches, warning of the impending frazzling that may befall them. The pair captivate the stage, effortlessly sauntering through Hall’s rich dialogue, peppered with allusions to nonsensical biblical monikers and omens of doom.
The Roundabout’s ensconcing atmosphere coupled with the lighting design by David Doyle and sound design by Holly Khan transports the audience into the claustrophobia of this world that Hall has created. Immersion is key, and the sense of rain and wind pounding against hallowed stone walls was so powerful it feels like you are there.
Adeyefa and Rollason’s performances anchor the entire play in a low-stakes yet captivating original story that takes a slice out of the lives of two young men and allows it to speak volumes on our own climate crisis today.