‘The Last Audition’ has a concept so brilliant, I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before. An aging Shakespearean actor prepares to audition for King Lear. Cracks appear in his performance as his memory falters and we see the actor’s dementia mirroring that of Lear. Paul Shearman’s script and performance largely do justice to the concept, sensitively transforming this once vital theatrical raconteur into someone more human, and vulnerable. The play is peppered with lines from Shakespeare, which add resonance and depth to the character’s struggle. I’d have liked a little more delineation in performance between the confidently declaimed soliloquies and the more intimate, personal dialogue. But this remains a gripping play with a profoundly human truth at its heart.

theSpace on the Mile, until 29 Aug. 
tw rating 3/5 | [Andy Leask]