Theatre | In Other Words

Hi it's Andrea! This week I'm going to write about a play that I saw a few weeks ago with my mum (and I've been waiting for a chance to write about it).

The play that we saw was a play called 'In Other Words', written by Matthew Seager. It's about a couple (Jane and Arthur) and their story of growing old together whilst Arthur gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's and their struggles to deal with it. The play was beautifully performed and the writing really let the audience connect to the characters and it really put the story across well.

The play is called 'In Other Words' as it is a visual and different depiction of the stages of Alzheimer's. This title is also a homage to the lyrics of 'Fly Me to the Moon' by Frank Sinatra, which is a motif throughout the story. 'Fly Me to the Moon' being repeated in almost every stage of the play -particularly when the characters are angry or troubled- represents how music stays with people and when someone can forget everything else the one thing they'll remember is music.

Before the play started, Jane and Arthur were already sat down in the space with music playing in the background; there were a few amount of props and the set design was basic, which I thought helped to show how raw and real the play is. Whilst the music was playing, the two characters were silently chatting away and already acting. I thought this showed their connection beautifully and it gave the audience an insight into who the characters really were.

When the play began, we were thrown right to the deep end, where the character's were aged and broken. The change from the happiness that was shown minutes ago into the pain shown in their later life moves the audience and also confuses them in a way where they are itching to know more.

However the play properly starts as light-hearted, where the characters often break the fourth wall to connect with the audience more. Within the first portion we are shown Jane and Arthur's playfulness and happiness that they have as a couple. Because of these scenes of joy, as the play moves along, the audience are more affected by the emotions presented.

One thing to note about the play is the lack of props for example when Arthur spills wine over Jane there is nothing in the glass and yet the actors make it so believable that she was covered in red wine. This shows their incredible acting from the beginning and let the audience know that the acting they're about to be shown later on, is incredible.

There are also often monologues throughout the play, they range from each character breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience, talking to each other, or talking to an imaginary character (the doctor). Each monologue shows an insight into the characters thoughts and feelings. One monologue that stuck out to me was Jane when talks to the 'doctor'. Jane explains all of her feelings, lets go and breaks down. This monologue presents how Alzheimer's can affect other people, and not just the person who's been diagnosed, in a really beautiful way.

A motif throughout the play is a ticking clock. It's seen at the start of the play and then throughout as Arthur's alzheimer's becomes worse. The use of a ticking clock indicates his lack of time and it is often accompanied by flickering lights and louder noises. These episodes that Arthur has throughout the play become longer as he declines more. When Arthur experiences these episodes we see everything from his perspective, including how different Jane sounds when talking to him. For example, whilst discussing things together, she keeps calm and patient with him but all Arthur can hear is her yelling at him and making him feel worse. From the lighting, distortion and sounds we as the audience are able to see inside Arthur's mind.

At the start of the play, Jane and Arthur are playful with each other. By the end, we see how serious Jane has become as she's become more lonely. Not only this but we see a jump between Arthur's character. Before the alzheimers affects him, he is funny and playful but can also be serious. At the end, these traits are hightened into them being more childish. For instance, as he watches TV he laughs often and is peaceful. However, he also gets upset and angry easily. These contrasting traits are usually associated with young children and their quick mood changes. The use of these mood swings portrays the conflict in a person with dementia's mind and give insight to what life with that someone might be.

In addition to this, in the end, Jane looks after him, also as if he's a child again. Throughout the play, she often has to be positive when talking to Arthur, in order to keep him calm and peaceful.

At the very end, we see the couple in present day, now very old. Arthur is almost completely oblivious to his surroundings and so Jane lets go and breaks down. When she sits beside him, she plays their song 'Fly Me to the Moon' and we see Arthur look at Jane, finally remembering who she is. This repetition of the beginning scene shows the audience that this was inevitable and was bound to happen.

Overall, the play is beautifully performed and really puts across the idea of living as or with someone with alzheimer's.

I would recommend watching this play if it's performed near you but you can also purchase a script online. Me and my mum loved this play and both left the theatre crying our eyes out, so it was definitely worth the watch!

Thank you for reading this all. Hope you come again soon, Andrea xx