Winner of the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Play, On the Shore of the Wide World was written by Simon Stephens, a 2015 Tony winner for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The title of this play is taken from the John Keats’ poem “When I have Fears That I May Cease to Be.” Here is an excerpt: Never have relish in the faery power / Of unreflecting love—then on the shore / Of the wide world I stand alone, and think / Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.
That quote informs the mood of this play quite effectively. The setting is Stockport and London in 2004 and centers around the Holmes clan, a working class British family. This is domestic drama with tensions between brothers, parents and children, parents and their parents, and grandchildren and their grandparents, not to mention between the grandparents as well. In a way, everyone stands alone and they go forth through life trying to figure it all out for themselves while attempting to see (or not see) other points of view. It’s a quietly devastating play filled with a pile of interesting, flawed, rich characters.
I cannot imagine that this is an easy play to stage as there are so many scenes and locations, with some of very short duration. Nicely directed by the Atlantic Theater’s Artistic Director Neil Pepe, we clearly follow the numerous story arcs. There is tons of movement here: from homes, city buses and taxis to abandoned hotels with lighting effects illuminating the way. The staging mirrors the characters’ need for emotional movement as they each consider their lives and their choices, both in the past and towards the future. All of this adds up to great stuff performed by a stellar cast of actors. In a beautifully restrained way, the entire ensemble adds layers and layers of meaning and depth.
On the Shore of the Wide World has a lot to say… and not say. “Of the wide world I stand alone, and think.” Indeed.
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