A remarkable piece that tears up the rules on what a play should be
Tim Crouch’s seminal work still stands up as a triumph in theatrical deconstruction, a remarkable piece that tears up the rules on what a play should be, yet is as thought-provoking and emotionally compelling as any dramatic venture.
It’s been over 20 years since Tim Crouch penned An Oak Tree, a play that takes its name and inspiration from a conceptual work of art by Michael Craig-Martin. The work is nothing more than a glass of water perched on a glass shelf 253 centimetres high, and yet the artist, in the accompanying plaque, states firmly that what the gallerygoer is seeing is indeed an oak tree. This play, first performed in 2005, is just as meta as its namesake: a play that is seemingly laid bare for all to see, yet invites its audience to think again.
There has never been more than one performance of An Oak Tree, and there never will be. In fact, to get into the spirit of the work, we could argue that there is no point in reviewing this piece at all, as no other night in An Oak Tree’s run will play out like this one, because Crouch performs with a different actor every night.
The actor, in this case the wonderful Gwyneth Keyworth, has never seen or read the play and is given the script on the night. Through Crouch’s masterful puppeteering, alongside the actor’s gut reactions to what they read and hear, the play is constructed live and raw. Crouch directs the play from inside it, and the actor is as clueless about the narrative’s twists and turns as the audience. This is how a play with no set, minimal costume and zero lighting changes becomes visceral and thoroughly immersive. The actor is the audience, and the audience is the actor; we are complicit.
As for the story, it is best to go into An Oak Tree knowing very little about it, but it deals with themes of grief, family and longing. It has its funny moments, but it’s devastating, too.
Keyworth was outstanding in the role, and the greatest moments of the play happened because of the choices she made. It is a privilege to see an actor being fed lines and deciding how to evoke them right there in front of you. Those decisions, usually worked through over weeks of rehearsals, are made at the click of a finger. Keyworth was totally up to the challenge and brought a sincerity and raw naturalism that perfectly contrasted with the play’s metatheatrical form.
Crouch performs the piece like the veteran he is. He knows every line, every detail and every stage direction, top to bottom and inside and out, and his authority is what drives the piece. But he’s not a dictatorial director; he’s empathetic, and the moments when he and Keyworth were simply themselves in the space were beautifully real.
Essays upon essays could be written about this piece: what it means, what it is doing and who the characters actually are. But it is for the audience to make that decision. An Oak Tree should be on the curriculum for all theatre lovers, and not just the snooty, chin-stroking types, but everyone.
An Oak Tree runs from 9th October to 15Th November at The Other Palace.