Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Immediate storytelling and cutting-edge design work ensure that BLINDNESS is a strikingly immersive theatrical experience

• By drediman
• April 7, 2021
• No Comments

If last year has taught us anything, it’s that we should be regularly exercising our ability to challenge the status quo. This also applies to theater and its administration, presentation, and very definition. It’s with this in mind that I entered the airy, flexible black box that is the Daryl Roth Theatre (located just off of Union Square) to experience my first full theatrical staging in more than a year. That would be the Donmar Warehouse extremely unique, pandemic-friendly production of Blindness, playwright Simon Stephens’ adaptation of José Saramago’s novel of the same name, which tells the speculative dystopian tale of an epidemic that leaves the world’s human population without the sense of sight – with the exception of one woman (that we’re aware of), who must navigate the horrors that quickly befall society and civilization.

Mr. Stephens’ efficiently-constructed adaptation draws favorable comparisons to smart, thought-provoking dystopian television shows and films like The Leftovers and Children of Men (I am a huge admirer of both of these works), as well as Brian Friel’s monologue-driven Molly Sweeney, which dives deep into the nature of sight and blindness. Additionally, the ongoing reality of the current Covid-19 pandemic looms large over the production. In fact, there’s a simple visual coup at the conclusion of the show that powerfully and elegantly brings the two planes together (no spoilers here); it took my breath away. Contributing to the vivid immediacy of Mr. Saramago’s harrowing parable is Juliet Stevenson’s sharp-edged, often unnerving performance, which I found hugely engrossing.

But is it theater? You see, no live actors are involved in Blindness (Ms. Stevenson’s narration has been previously recorded), which instead relies on evocative theatrical design to animate the story. In practical terms, the show is essentially a progression of lighting cues set to a pre-recorded sonic track. However, there’s a distinct aura of a theatrical event about its staging. Director Walter Meier Johann has seamlessly and skillfully harnessed the show’s cutting-edge design elements to enhance the storytelling in a way that’s bold, artfully suggestive, and ultimately theatrical. Particularly, the creative team has done an exceptional job of highlighting that Blindness is a communal journey to be experienced with fellow audience members.

As for the technical aspects of the production, they’re terribly exciting. There’s a dimensionality to Ben and Max Ringham’s sound design which brings a tangible, textured quality to the show’s sonic landscape. The ingenious use of headphones to enhance the experience – continuing the trend of Simon McBurney’s astonishing solo play The Encounter and Ella Hickson’s Anna (which the Ringhams also designed) at the National Theatre – is a fascinating evolution in sound design that I hope continues to be explored in theater. Together with Jessica Hung Han Yun’s sensational lighting design, striking especially for its contrasting use of pitch darkness and piercing light, the design elements ensure that Blindness is a viscerally immersive experience.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BLINDNESS
Theater / Off-Broadway
Daryl Roth Theatre
1 hour, 10 minutes (without an intermission)
Open-ended