I was unsure about what to expect from this play written and acted by Alys Williams. What I got was a powerful reenactment of a period of her life when all seemed lost. Please don’t let that put you off as there is plenty of humour and music to lighten, literally, the mood, in spite of one of the songs being by Leonard Cohen.
The light house in the title is a metaphor for the hope that one beam of brightness can bring to the darkest of times. It is not the only metaphor involved, as in times of emergency Alys goes through the process designed to respond to someone falling overboard from a ship. First you shout ‘Man overboard!’, then you ring the skipper to tell them, third you throw a life belt and buoy or watertight torch if it is dark, you then blow a whistle and point to the area where the person is, and keep pointing.
The period in question is one when Alys’s boyfriend, Nathan, was going through a mental breakdown and she followed a similar protocol to ‘rescue’ him; by seeing that he was in need of aid, calling out to alert those close by, summoning specialist help, noting the place he was in, letting him know his emergency had been identified and keeping a track of his progress/regress.
The play begins by telling the story of their meeting and getting to know each other. It is funny and touching at the same time. As Nathan is not present Alys uses an angle poise lamp as a kind of puppet. The skill involved is amazing. You would not believe the emotions which can be expressed by an inanimate object. The fact that it is a light obviously ties in with the title.
Alys works through the various stages of Nathan’s condition, both in the symptoms exhibited and the ways in which she responds to these to help him through the traumas. These include just being with him, even when he doesn’t know of her presence, and, at the other extreme, dressing up as a clown to bring a smile to his face. Now, leaving the review of the play aside for a moment, I don’t know Nathan or what his diagnosis was, but, as someone who, in the 1980s, had regular visits from. what Sir Winston Churchill called his black dog, I have to question this course of action. The problem is the word ‘depression’. To most of the population, depression means fed up or blue, to those suffering from the medical definition, it means something totally different. The last thing a sufferer wants is for someone to try to cheer them up,. I am sure that Alys took professional advice before embarking on this strategy but, to anyone who knows a sufferer from clinical depression, I urge you to seek professional guidance before doing something which you think might help, but which could result in quite the opposite.
Meanwhile, back at the play, I was obviously moved, both to laughter and tears, by Nathan’s situation, but also incredibly impressed by the dedication shown by Alys throughout the lengthy period of time covered by his illness. This really was above and beyond the call of duty, showing that, what appeared to be quite a superficial relationship at the outset, developed into a deep love.
Although a one-person show, the audience is included with a couple of members asked to take a part from their seats and some more being brought on stage. I normally cringe at this practice but there was no pressure exerted and, rather than it being embarrassing for those involved, it seemed very natural.
The stagecraft was amazing with the most mundane of props being turned into unexpected items, notably boxes into a rowing boat.
I won’t let you know how the play ends as I wouldn’t wish to spoil it for you, all I will say is that it came as a total surprise to me. What I will promise you is that you will leave the theatre in a positive frame of mind, and what could be better than that.
I hope that you get a chance to see this work at the last venue in its autumn tour at Keswick on 28th October. Should you not be able to make that one then fear not, there are more dates in the new year including more local ones in Harrogate and Wakefield.
For full details and to book, please go to https://www.alyswilliams.co.uk/tour-dates
To see what is coming to Leeds Playhouse it is https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on/
Photographs by Anthony Robling.
Tyke It To The Limit 