
 
An electrifyingly theatrical séance that imagines the last
moments of consciousness of the great theatrical innovator. It is an extraordinarily
hallucinatory hour, strung together by the combination of Wright and Artauds
razor-sharp wit, an amazing soundtrack that seems like the noises, drips
and clangings of a leaking mind, a dazzlingly simple staging of white
sheets and lights that creates all the terror of electric-shock therapy,
and a firm belief in the wisdom of the insane.
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian (Critics Choice)
The trip is gripping, disturbing, comical and visually appealing,
drawing you into an energetic monologue that has the sense of a séance
and the surreal shocks of twilight dreams. Artaud In Wonderland is a manic
patchwork of impressions that sums up the tortured life of an electric
mind. Convulsive viewing.
Mark Espiner, Time Out
Damian Wright, in a devastatingly electric performance, gives piercing
insights into Artauds life and psyche. Periplums theatrical
vision displays incredible richness of imagination despite the simplicity
of the production. A miraculous panoply of experience is evoked on this
bare black and white platform by one actor. And the script is sparkling:
tight, poetic, rhythmic, challenging, making this an Under Milk Wood of
Underland.
Joy Hendrie, The Scotsman (5 Stars, Fringe First
Nomination 2000)
This was a unique and extraordinary piece that stretched my definitions
of theatre as I watched it. A startling evocation of the tortured mind
of Antonin Artaud, performed so mesmerisingly that, as the actor bowed,
I almost felt Artaud chuckling at us. Or was he cackling?
Geoff Beale, Total Theatre
Splendidly hysterical. Like watching an old film spool run out of
control.
Andrew Aldridge, The Stage
Damian Wrights performance is mesmerising, and his single-handed
recreation of the writers dying fantasies is splendidly compelling,
witty and moving; a tour de force with deeply personal resonances. As
Artaud points out: A madman is a man whom society does not want
to hear. Periplum make us sit up and listen.
Andrew J. Wilson, The Metro
Damian Wright, in a powerfully intense performance, explores the
untapped caverns of Artauds psyche as he lives out his last remaining
breaths. Combining great acting, talented writing and inspired set design
and lighting, modern theatre doesnt get much better.
Matthew Gerraghty, Brighton and Hove Argus
This is an exceptional one-man show about an extraordinary man.
In the semi-darkness, the actor invites us into the world of Artauds
diseased mind, using simple lighting, which casts atmospheric shadows,
illuminating the actor in many remarkable ways. A magical hour in the
theatre: dazzling & astounding. How original & fantastic their
style of theatre is, and how it supports the best acting!
Thelma Good, Edinburgh Guide (5 stars)
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