★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Natasha

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

Before I start the actual review, I must implore anyone local to Nottingham or a fan of theatre to visit Nonsuch Studios one day. Although (seating 54 in Studio Two) it’s a smaller setting than most, it’s the most welcoming and lovely venue and I am astounded, particularly with the quantity and quality of events on offer, that tonight was my first time at Nonsuch. I will definitely be back!

That I got to view such a brilliantly directed (Adam Quayle) and acted performance of Billie Collins’ play ‘Too Much World at Once’ in this small but perfectly formed venue was a bonus. Unsure what to expect from a drama involving a boy named Noble transforming into a bird on his fifteenth birthday, I need not worry. Serious, topical and thought-provoking, the story leaves an indelible impression whilst also managing to include plenty of quirkiness and some hilarious one-liners to lighten the darkness. The narrative can be read as magical realism and/or a symbolic representation of the disintegration/reintegration of identity but is also a wholly accessible and insightful study of family relationships and friendships, and the challenges faced by young people in a changing 21st-century world.

The play opens to an empty set, unelaborate yet innovative, soon to be occupied by characters who capably transform it into home, school, the middle of an ocean, the sky. Gorgeous soft lighting hues accompany (courtesy of Lighting Designer Richard Owen), and although the production does not include painted backdrops or digital projections, it perhaps benefits from this more stripped-down approach. The overall design (Katie Scott) ensures that the audience are allowed to use their imagination, rather than having everything visualised for them. Sound Designer & Composer Lee Affen keeps the soundtrack similarly sparse, ensuring that sounds and music are a composite part of the drama without distracting from it. The tale is thus largely told through Collins’ rhythmic prose and spoken imagery to conjure a world a step away from our own, yet part of it. Noble, for example, describes himself as “thunder-soaked and mercurial”, which says it all without the need for special effects. Scenes are also illustrated highly effectively (with credit to Movement Director Aiden Crawford) through the movements of the characters rather than visual design.

The actors excel. Alexandra Mathie gives a nuanced interpretation of Fiona (tellingly usually referred to as Mum or Miss, her title of Dr and own name having been subsumed), similarly exploring the limitations and possibilities of her various roles in life. The three younger performers demonstrate the required vulnerability and youthfulness of the characters but also mature and attentive acting skills, suggesting that these recent graduates are destined for further greatness. Ewan Grant as Ellis confidently inhabits a young person comfortable in their own skin who is nevertheless struggling to negotiate many aspects of their life. Cleo (Evie Hargreaves), trying to maintain a relationship with her family from thousands of miles away despite human and technological communication breakdown, is portrayed with great range, enabling the character’s curiosity, passion and vulnerability to alternate and intersect. These depictions, remarkable in their own right, also revolve around the integral figure of Noble, brought to life by Paddy Stafford, who excels in representing the struggles of one teenage boy through not only the play’s spoken word element but also an astonishing physical performance that speaks as much to us in its thoughtful stillness as in its movement.
It helps, of course, that the actors are working with an extraordinary script and layered characterisations, as well as a wonderful creative team. They match this, however, by having honed their performances here into something very special. What this has allowed them to deliver is a fable for our times, which explores themes of otherness and difference and reminds us of the impact of climate change as well as the difficulties of growing up. Intriguing, resonant, and out of the ordinary, I’m so pleased I had the chance to experience this production before the end of its run.