Life’s Witness @ The Treasure House, World Museum, Liverpool

For a debut production by a new theatre company, Life’s Witness tackles some weighty themes. The inaugural effort by Manchester-based group of actors From The Mill makes a good effort at exploring the ownership of ideas, the definition of ‘literary’ writing and the cost of the pursuit of fame. 

The piece begins as a television interview with novelist Nathan (Luke Helly) – director Onur Orkut maximises his limited resources by using the theatre audience as a studio audience. In another clever move, the staging evolves as Nathan’s memories come to life. They unfold in the foreground as they are jogged by the interviewer (Thomas Hodson, also the author), who remains a constant at the back of the stage. Despite being a simple technique it allows Nathan’s thoughts to come alive in a way that never feels forced or gimmicky. 

Hodson plays the interviewer with a perfectly pitched mix of panache and dignity that an audience expects from a television personality. His interview with Nathan, an author who has recently produced a masterpiece after years of critical and commercial decline, rapidly turns into an interrogation. This is where Hodson’s writing is at his cleverest because the interviewer could be interpreted as a manifestation of Nathan’s guilt for his past actions. This is subtly implied rather than directly stated, helping the performance maintain a delicate balance between straightforward narrative and the realm of the novelist’s mind and memories. Inside Nathan’s ‘memory’, Jennifer Campbell puts in a truly superb performance as J, the sales-driven, focus group-organising publisher who breaks the news to her novelist that his books are no longer selling. She is utterly believable, from her dismissive gestures down to her patent leather high heels, as she draws the battle lines between literary fiction and audience-pleasing ‘painting by numbers’ writing. 

However, there are moments when both the writing and the acting is less convincing. The direction of the plot becomes evident disappointingly early, dissipating the tension built by the gradually escalating interview. Helly’s performance as Nathan is a little uncertain, as if he is unsure what direction to take with the character. It feels as if there is more to be done with the pathos of a celebrity whose appeal is fading, hinted at when Nathan complains: “it can’t end with me just fading away.” Certainly the desperation this abandonment inspires in him drives the plot, but Hodson could have explored the emotional impact more, if only to help the audience connect more with Nathan. 

It must be pointed out, however, that this performance at the Page to Stage Festival is a staging of a work in progress rather than a presentation of a polished final product. Certainly the concept for the play is an interesting one, and the execution is both entertaining and thought-provoking. From the Mill do not lack enthusiasm or dedication and are a group to look out for in the near future.