‘A gut-punching performance that leaves you questioning your own character’
The Forum isn’t just a show to watch: it’s a show to partake in. Sit back in your seats, because in this show, you as the audience pass silent judgement on the character on trial. Walking into the venue, each of the audience is presented with a slip of paper and a pencil. There are only two options: guilty and not guilty. Theatre has always had an ability to make the audience question what they believe to be true – this is brought to a boiling point by this powerful play.
We are confronted by the story of an FBI agent exposed to radical ideologies and far-right groups, and forced to decide his fate. Desmond Devenish, embodying not just Hitchens, the protagonist, but also his father, his friends, his enemies, and his allies, gives an outstanding performance, capturing the audience with his gritty acting and the open honesty with which he explains his character’s predicament.
While at times the story could be hard to follow due to the speed at which it was told, each character that Devenish portrays is real, flawed, and jarringly human. Though the audience are given only one judgement to make, I found myself making many: the play deconstructs what it means when a person you grow fond of – in this case, the character of Killian Hitchens – becomes a part of something you stand against.
A riveting piece in both writing and performance, The Forum is not to be missed. It is one of the most thought-provoking shows at the Fringe, and is guaranteed to stick with you for days after watching.
(The Forum is at the Edinburgh Fringe from the 1st August to the 24th August at c aquila studio. Find tickets here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-forum.)