phillip low is a storyteller in the most ancient and magical sense of the word. Sitting at Augsburg, fighting a Fringe-induced headache at the base of my skull, I was totally and completely taken in by The Rise of General Arthur.
With influences ranging from The Bible to Monty Python, and with references to dozens of variations on the legend of King Arthur, low has assembled a text that is about war, the search for meaning, and the human condition (which seems mainly to consist of persistent confusion). He is clearly an intelligent and well-read writer, and his show can sometimes be overly wordy (his production company is called Maximum Verbosity, after all). But if it is sometimes overly-intellectual, it is also honestly felt, and carefully choreographed.
The physicality of this show is subtle and perfect — it isn’t quite choreography, but that’s the word I’d like to use. It is here that low’s training in mime and physical performance really helps his audience to follow his quick-moving and multi-layered text. In the stream of words, low’s straightened finger or sidelong glance is the beacon towards meaning.
Four stars for a complex and carefully woven text recounted by a skillful storyteller.
SWF
