‘A Progress’, the retelling of Bunyan’s classic ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ chronicles the various twists and turns of a 17th Century jailbird’s dream. The piece dares to tackle the many questions us humans continually ask ourselves such as what is the meaning of life?
Performed by Beggarsbelief Theatre Company, this allegorical piece literally lit up the room with its constant high energy, which was due to the versatility of the cast. The ensemble worked fantastically together to create various vivid characters, worlds and situations, which created a great momentum for the piece. The use of signs to differentiate each character added humour to the piece, a minimalistic convention that created humour at every turn. There was a great connection between the performers and the audience members as there was audience participation. Some audience members were given lines in which they had to cite at certain parts of the show. This for me was a great icebreaker and really helped to break down the fourth wall. The use of shadow puppetry and song to accompany the many powerful images created made the piece very dynamic as well as exciting to watch. An entertaining piece, which didn’t take itself too seriously, I give A Progress 4/5.
A Progress
Directed and written by Carl Heap
The Yard Theatre
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