By: Cathryn Macey
Immersive and interactive; two words that either excite or induce anxiety and Tim Crouch’s innovative one man play, “Truth’s a dog”, bills itself as both!
However, this is not a performance which requires any active, on-stage audience participation. Tonight, it is our imagination that becomes fully immersed in the weird and wonderful world of Tim Crouch.
Ostensibly, “Truth’s a dog” is a show about an actor who plays the fool in King Lear. The actor playing the fool (Tim) watches himself exit the play through a VR head set before putting the head set on again for a front row seat during the more gruesome moments of one of Shakespeare’s most graphic tragedies.
No prior knowledge of Lear is required as this unusual and refreshing one act play is also about wider issues in modern society. Blending poetically narrated accounts of Lear with surreal jokes and insightful observations about the way theatre is produced and marketed, this is arguably quite a niche performance and one which would appeal most to people interested in hard hitting productions that challenge their conceptions of the world we live in.
Throughout the production, your mind is racing as it frantically works hard to draw together the many different threads of ideas Tim provocatively offers us. Inspired by Stewart Lee’s style of comedic social commentary, Tim delivers his thoughts about elitism and the rapid “screenification” of theatre. Championing live theatre and the need for cultural events that bring us all together, he looks unflinchingly at the state of society and our ever-growing dependency on mobile phones.
Some of the jokes and observations are perhaps alarming; no taboo subject is off the table and even necrophilia is fair game as fodder for a witty quip about the state of the modern entertainment industry. Tim isn’t afraid of making his audience squirm in their seat uncomfortably, so it’s perhaps not surprising that foul imagery and dark humour prevail at times.
Intense lighting heightens the confronting nature of “Truth’s a dog.” House lights are on for the duration of the show and interesting use of music and sound effects enhance the urgency of the ideas presented. Sped up readings of “King Lear” are played at high volume as Tim narrates the action of the famous blinding of Gloucester scene. The sound complements the level of detail Tim poetically performs as we become fully immersed in the post fool world of Lear. It’s both haunting and moving and a personal highlight of the show.
There is a palpable buzz in the air following the conclusion of the performance and most of the crowd stay rooted in their seats so they can talk through and debate some of the ideas “Truth’s a dog” gives us.
This may not be a perfectly polished show and some of the content may not be suitable for sensitive audience members, but this is undoubtedly a production that will get you thinking. Overall, a thoroughly refreshing experience Shakespeare himself would approve of!