Classical music, cups of tea, and ecstasy pills form the cornerstones of an unlikely intergenerational companionship in writer-performer James Rowland's brilliant and charming solo show.
It's an autobiographical piece which follows James as a young teenager, as he's forced to spend time at the home of an elderly neighbour, Anne, who he initially sees as a witch!
With time, young James' view of Anne alters for the better, and with it, Rowland's impersonation of her voice in the performance changes from witch/crone-like to more well-spoken (Rowland would like you to acknowledge how clever he is for doing this 😉).
As the story progresses, Anne opens up a little to James, whereupon he discovers she is extremely sad. James then takes it upon himself to help ease her sadness – with ecstasy pills sourced from the local school drug dealer.
There's some other delightful twists and turns in this deceptively gripping tale, which is a masterpiece in entertaining storytelling. Rowland relies on nothing in the way of a set, other than simply a portable record player. On that record player is Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, which is used to soundtrack a number of significant moments in the story.
And oh, what a superb story; equal parts profound, stirring, and funny. Some routines are performed at breakneck speed, barely giving you a chance to catch your breath between laughs, while at other moments James skilfully delivers us silence, moments of calm to allow the music to breathe and for us to reflect. Most of all, however, Rowland is a fantastically likeable performer. His wonderful energy, verve, and humour absolutely shines through, and is a joy to behold.
James Rowland Dies at the End of the Show, the third and final part of James’ Life Cycle Trilogy that began with Learning to Fly (second of these is called Piece of Work), is being performed at Stage Two at Norwich Theatre on Sept 28. Visit norwichtheatre.org for tickets.
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