Quack

I have to be honest, I had no idea what to expect when  my friend Jayne told me about the show she was in (and she was cunningly short on detail). Theatre for the deaf? Seriously? Was that miming and sign-language with big overdone facial expressions? But I'm always interested to try new things, and was feeling particularly like I needed a break from drinking and obsessing about The Break Up. So I took what I now realise was my hideously patronising attitude, and another friend, to go support.

And you know what, the piece was unbelievable. It was magical and terrifying and brilliant. It starts with a man lying dying on a hospital bed and immediately throws you into the delusions and visions he is having - the whole piece is set in his tormented dreams, or the underworld. And nothing makes it quite so underworldly as having no speech, only eerie music and garbled, nightmarish sounds - the kind you make when you're trying to scream or speak in a dream, but can't. The piece is very, very dark, and pretty freaky. Everyone is in masks (think Eyes Wide Shut but without the sex and with more soul-eating) which capture the sadness and idiosyncrasies of the individual characters perfectly. And there is some relief in the form of a fragile romance.

Quack really takes you into another world and is something truly unique and beautiful and moving. A rich experience. Thanks Jayne! And I reckon you should all go down to the Intimate Theatre on Hidding Campus and see it. (Before the 21st, or you'll miss it)