REVIEW: LETHE by Noga Flaishon at King’s Head Theatre 1 – 12 Nov 2022

‘A sense of menace pervades this play which has a mystery at its core’ ★★★★

Sci-fi is a relatively new genre to be used as means of exploring our own lives. Playwright Noga Flaishon has been pushing at the boundaries of what is possible, and this feels like a fully-fledged example of a successful play which uses futuristic themes. 

Alice (Sarah Cullum) wakes up to find herself in a place she doesn’t recognise, being cared for by people who appear sinister to her. She discovers that three years of her memory have been taken away with her own consent.  Videos of herself reveal that she has made the request following a trauma, which was preventing her from continuing a normal life. Now she must get used to an implant which makes a scrambling noise every time she gets close to the truth of the trauma.  Is the implant a success or does she need to know what happened to her, to make a full recovery?

The story uses voiceovers for the medical team who have worked on the implant and also features a second actor (Eleanor Harper) who plays the role of Alice’s sister and the traumatised Alice (3 years ago). Whilst we never learn the exact nature of the trauma, we are given strong hints and it allows us to see the wider impact of assault.  Eleanor Harper as the sister provides a charming and essential addition to the play and the device used for delineating her role as the earlier Alice is very effective. 

It is easy to see that this play could have a future life and deserves to be published, because there is the potential to play it in so many different ways.  In this instance it was cyberpunk inspired, which should be instantly recognisable style to Sci-Fi enthusiasts  I really wanted the voiceover characters to be played on stage live as that special interaction between actors when making dialogue together was missing and gave parts of the show a feeling of a monologue. This is partly why the sister’s presence was so pleasing and helped to flesh out the drama.

LETHE by Noga Flaishon

The King’s Head Theatre from Tue 01 Nov to Sat 12 Nov 2022

Cast & Creatives:

Alice performed by Sarah Cullum

Daphne / Other Alice performed by Eleanor Harper

Written and Produced by Noga Flaishon

Directed by Micha Mirto

Movement Designed by Coral Tarran

Sound Designed by RODENT

Lighting Designed by Adi Currie

Marketing Consultant Holly Thompson

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery, Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine