HOME

• Deborah Chu
• 24 August 2018

Scenes of everyday life rendered both surreal and marvellous

There are times when HOME feels near miraculous – a middle-aged man climbs into bed, and out tumbles a young boy; where was once empty darkness emerges the glow of a lamp. Indeed, through a combination of physical theatre, illusion and lo-fi mechanics, HOME follows the construction of an entire house – working faucets and all – on stage, and rendered a home through the souls that inhabit it.

A visual feast and incredible feat of logistics, HOME presents a moving study on the poetics of time. Seasons whirl by, while a sleepless night standing in the light of an open refrigerator is languorously drawn out. The fluid choreography between the performers is beautifully suggestive of time in flux as the lives of the house's inhabitants, past and present, are overlaid atop of one another. These strands come together during the show's climax, wherein audience members are plucked out to join a party onstage (this reviewer was the one chugging 'beer' in the kitchen), which spans life's traditional milestones. The performers' ability to create such controlled chaos and manage up to twenty unpredictable strangers into a joyous tableau is deserving of every praise.

Yet for such an evocative idea, there is a surprising dearth of deep feeling due to HOME's reluctance to explore the darker sides of life, despite its panoramic scope. Moreover, the zither performance bookending the show is atmospheric, but also edges the show dangerously in the direction of twee. Nevertheless, HOME makes a powerful statement in celebrating community and the loving mess that erupts from lives intersecting.

King's Theatre, until 26 Aug, £17-£35.