Elliot Cowan, who depicts his trio of tormentors is another standout, with a softly chilling manner giving way to stomach-turning cruelty.īut the litany of what basically amounts to mediaeval tortures – paedophilia, graphic rape, visceral self-harm and violence, literal pools of blood – almost numb you to Jude’s pain. Past and present are interwoven, with figures from Jude’s childhood talking to his adult self, as his traumatic memories literally stalk him across the stage. Screens on either side of the set show rolling footage of city streets and buzz with static, while a live string quartet provides the soundtrack, heightening the tension.
The staging is clever and immersive, with some audience members seated directly behind the action, and the cast cooking, eating, smoking and cleaning on stage before the show begins and throughout the production. One scene in which he sits quietly, alone and still, brought me close to tears he deserves every award he’s sure to be nominated for.
He barely leaves the stage as his character is put through seemingly endless suffering. His performance as Jude – from abandoned boy to broken man – is breathtaking.
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