THEATRE REVIEW: This Is How We Die ★★★★

This Is How We Die

Warwick Arts Centre

Tuesday 19th May 2015

Entering the studio at Warwick arts Centre, you are faced with a single table and chair, with a glass of water on top, and then the row of seats opposite, where the audience sit. What happened next was unlike any other theatrical event I had attended, as walking on stage and taking a seat was Chris Brett Bailey, who in the first 5-10 minutes speed through a monologue which you can almost not keep up with as he flies through his words like a the Lewis Hamilton on the track.

He soon starts to slow down, as he recites a tale featuring himself and his girlfriend, who has a beehive, mentioned repeatedly throughout the performance. The thing that makes Christopher more unique then any other performer of late is the factor of managing to keep hold and engage his audience within the hour, and never losing our focus. His crisp voice and words are so precise that he hardly fails to mess up, unless he gets tongue-tied.

I also really liked how awkward and particularly terrified he made everyone feel  the within the climatic 10 minutes of his piece, as he leaves the table and heads behind the spotlight into what looks like darkness, but instead liea a band of 5 musicians. The awkward part was the unknowing of the ending as two lights were soon shone upon the audience, whilst behind was darkness, as the performers became the spectators, with the volume that the music deafening ears and making them ring for a while past the end of the performance.

This Is How I Die overall was an innovative piece of theatre that felt very uncertain but in a very controlled manner. Low on production values, what really excells the performance is Brett Bailey, who captives throughout with a passion and manner that will keep your mind energised.