The actors introduce themselves and let us know that they will tell a story with some truth in it, but also this particular story is completely made up…
The three actors then talk to their audience throughout making it clear that they are just actors who weave between being “themselves” and the characters that are represented in the piece. We meet the people who live in a block of flats who are inevitably drawn together because of their proximity to where a stench emanates and later on there are maggots which secrete into their spaces seemingly from flat #61. We peep into the world of a collage of families who are drawn together by the fog and inescapable nausea of rot, decay and degradation starting off against a backdrop of a long, hot and hazy summer.
Linda is the first to notice it and despite informing the council of her suspicion that her neighbour may be dead in her home…hers and several other neighbours’ reports go responded to by the council for a staggering 376 days!
Whilst we wait to find out what this suspected smell is, we focus in on our families in the building and that’s equally as interesting and compelling as we care about and are invested in what is happening in their lives too. Carly with her six month old son, Noah. Linda’s own story with her daughter Josie and losing her husband not so long ago. Teenager Jaydn who has eyes for his neighbour’s daughter, Aleena. Rebecca, who is too busy to take notice of the building group chats until it becomes impossible to ignore.
This particular story of dying alone is fiction but the writer has researched the theme and wants to pay tribute to those who have been discovered like this.
Directed by Jess Barton, the story is told in chapters, almost like a Stranger Things format. And we really are looking at the documentation of what we eventually discover to be a sad and shameful reveal. A person who has died alone with no accountability for the length of time it takes to find her and the lost chance to give her a respectful end.
Sam Baker Jones, Safiyya Ingar and Marcia Lecky give relaxed, warm, and sometimes deadpan performances. This mostly works but at times I would have preferred a more energetic and clear role definition between characters.
Lighting designer Peter Small opts for a dimly lit setting, I loved the storm scene which felt atmospheric. The eerie music underscore by Duramaney Kamara sets the tone for the piece and the set design by Caitlin Mawhinney depict the fragrance of flowers rather than the stench of death which is an interesting choice but I wonder if it’s somewhat lost in the ceiling rather than at their feet.
But despite the topic, there are plenty of opportunities for humour and genuine laughter here and sometimes it’s the absurdity that forces the chuckle.
