
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)