REVIEW: 1000 WAYS THE WORLD WILL END (& HOW IT STARTS AGAIN) at King’s Head Theatre until 12 August



‘Shortlisted for the Women's Playwriting Prize … this is a highly imaginative voice’ ★★★ ½

Dogmouth Theatre's 1000 WAYS THE WORLD WILL END (& HOW IT STARTS AGAIN) is a queer multi-time dimensional forest core odyssey of the love between Astrid and Yrsa, crossing time and multiple endings of the world. Writer Alice Flynn has created a story that takes on themes of queer love, identity, nihilism and cottage core fantasies, but at the heart of it, is human connection.

Played by Kalifa Taylor & Phoebe Cresswell, the two actors interweave between several timelines and approximately four different couples, or versions of Astrid and Yrsa. Cresswell in particular displays an aptitude to embody each time period physically. The moments of comedy sprinkled throughout the play are also elevated by Taylor's comedic flair.

Alice Robb's direction makes strong use of the actors' physicality and keeps the pace up at a record rate which helps the play have a forward momentum hurtling towards the end of the world - or which end of the world? At times, however, the speed at which the play functions, may lose some audience members in which pair they are following. Some of the characterisations are stronger than others.

Robb also designs for this production - a fantastical nocturnal world of mushrooms and moss. That said, one could sense the actors trying to navigate their instincts with the set piece in the centre of the stage. The recurrent imagery of circles, rituals, cyclical patterns and reincarnation would perhaps be better served by allowing the centre stage to utilised. 

Shortlisted for the Women's Playwriting Prize 2021, with a great deal of development and backing behind it, I am sure it will go on further. It calls itself a show that '...charts lost histories of queer women and changing cultural attitudes towards the end of days.' With a little more polish and some solid dramaturgy, this is a highly imaginative voice.

1000 WAYS THE WORLD WILL END (& HOW IT STARTS AGAIN) at King’s Head Theatre 24 July - 12 August

Box Office https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/1000-ways-the-world-will-end-how-it-starts-again

Cast | Kalifa Taylor & Phoebe Cresswell

Writer | Alice Flynn

Director & Designer | Alice Robb

Producer | Becca Rowson

Reviewed by Emma Godwin