Impact, Barons Court Theatre Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Barons Court Theatre is currently home to Viola! Film Festival, a festival showcasing fifteen different shows from different writers and performers, a mix of cultures, genres and languages. Impact by Amy Engelhardt follows Amy’s journey from when she hears about the Lockerbie Disaster, a bombing which took some of her friends’ lives, up until her cathartic visit to Lockerbie thirty years later. Impact explores connections, not coincidences, trauma and grief yet manages to be positive and uplifting.
We are introduced to Amy, Syracuse University alumni and friend to victims of the Lockerbie Disaster. She is joined by two musicians, a cellist and a percussionist, and takes to the keyboard herself throughout the seventy-minute show. What first struck me is how fabulous Amy is at engaging the audience and storytelling. As soon as I got the gist of what the show was about, my mind wandered to two friends that I had lost in traumatic circumstances, and I was in awe of how Amy dared to take to the stage to talk about the disaster and the friends she had lost. I marvelled at how she spoke frankly and honestly about the aftermath, dealing with the emotions and grief and taking the brave step to visit the scene of the Lockerbie Disaster. It was noticeable that Amy’s voice cracked throughout, however, this is something I would totally expect. There were a few times I noticed Amy trip on words but again – who wouldn’t when talking about something so personal and tragic?
Anyone who knows Barons Court Theatre will know that is so small and compact. It really does have cosy vibes especially now the new seats have been installed (shout out to everyone who donated to the fundraiser to help out this wonderful theatre). The small space has never been detrimental to any show that I have seen there, with Impact being no different. The back wall is used to project images; from newspaper articles following the disaster, to images of survivors and their relatives, to the memorial in Lockerbie. Seeing these images brought perspective to the entire show, seeing real-life people and documents really brought the whole situation home. Towards the end of the show, Amy conveyed the message that everybody in the audience would in some way be connected by tragedy; from 9/11, to the AIDs crisis, to the current situation in Gaza. This, to me, was extremely thought-provoking and I certainly spotted other audience members just as taken over by emotion as I was.
Original songs by Amy are peppered throughout the show, which I really enjoyed. Amy has a lovely, sweet voice and a talent for writing songs with real meaning. Part of the show talks about a Lockerbie resident who discovered belongings of one of the victims in her garden, years after the disaster. The song paired with this particular segment was gorgeous and, from someone who generally doesn’t get emotional at music, was close to bringing a tear to my eye. The two accompanying musicians were just as brilliant, their music haunting and memorable.
Grief has, sadly, been on my mind a lot lately. Not just on a personal level, but due to public tragedies which we are seeing day in and day out. Seeing Impact brought some solace for seventy minutes. Amy discussed connections, not coincidences, which was such a beautiful, refreshing view. Positivity radiated from Amy when she performed, in an uplifting show which has been born from an extreme tragedy. Bravo to Amy!
★★★★
