ED2015 4/5 Reviews ED2015 Theatre Reviews

Bortle 8 (Chris Davis)

By Andy Leask | Published on Thursday 13 August 2015

A one man play about the quest for absolute darkness, ‘Bortle 8’ takes us on a journey through space, to the depths of the ocean, and into the self. This could easily have been indulgent and pretentious, but amazingly, fantastically, it isn’t; there’s something disarmingly sincere about writer/performer Chris Davis that keeps things grounded. It’s funny and interesting, and seemingly without effort he forges a bond with his audience, so that we’re right there with him as he soars through the firmament, climbs up stars, or as he plunges into the Atlantic Ocean. It all builds to a mesmerising climax, a tour-de-force of spoken word rhythms and stream of consciousness wordplay that left me reeling.

Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 30 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Andrew Leask]