Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Adam Mohoney, Kerry Wells, Emily Darley, John Rand, Ben Small, Dawn Geary, George Goetzee, Sue Fawkes, Glyn Edwards.
It is not always about what is perceived to go on within the confines of a stage that makes a particular stand out memory for those honoured enough to see it or take time out of their lives to watch it, it is the knowledge of how deeply personal it is to the cast and how incredibly hard they have worked in overwhelming circumstances to make it happen, the sheer will, the graft and the pleasure, it can only be a case of Our Will against those who fight against such positivity.
Company of Friends’ Our Will is a unique moment in theatre in Liverpool, a play that stars several of the cast who live life to the full with Down’s Syndrome, a condition that might make some wrongly perceive that the complexity of acting is beyond the ability of such interesting characters and brave people. It is a moment that is intensely magnified as the production focuses on the relationship between control and possible manipulation, of a two way conversation being held when one of the pairing is seeking a different agenda.
This agenda is often dictated to when people believe they have a right to dominate, even oppress a person’s own thoughts, that they can tell them for example how to behave, how to look, when they take exception to what that person calls themselves; individuality is a high price to pay for freedom but it is the greatest pursuit we can gain full admiration from.
The toughness of the script is one that requires the cast to be congratulated with full force of applause, a tough profession at the best of times but one that is highlighted with several members of the cast interacting in ways that is beautiful and one that haunts with true, honest endeavour.
Our Will, the nature of getting your point across without losing faith, compassion and not opening up yourselves to accusations of oppression. Tyranny comes in many shapes, different sizes but usually dominated by the colour of hate and torment, it takes away hope and leads down a path that must never be taken again. Our Will opens up the heart to understand the complexity and fruitfulness that life can hold in its precious hands.
Ian D. Hall