Produced by Worklight Theatre

Review by Jack Cuinn

Summerhall – Anatomy Lecture Theatre: Tickets

James Rowland welcomes audience members into the Anatomy Lecture theatre for what he announces is (on the performance I saw) his 103rd performance in this space. He warns us of a partial nudity warning as he turns around, revealing his bare behind covered only by a pair of tights. With his hospital gown and orange crocs on, he begins the show, playfully wishing us ‘good luck’ as he begins the countdown to the end of the show and, subsequently, his death.

The show’s structure is a collection of scraps of paper with tidbits of information, which launches Rowland into recounting stories about libraries, book collections, his relationship with Fran Bush, and going to the football and hearing men chant in a higher pitch. A central element of the show is Rowland’s recreation of key scenes from Robin Hood, recounting and reflecting on his childhood and what has informed him to be his current self.

Mythic and sage-like in appearance and presence, Rowland conjures up detailed imagery which captures the audience’s imaginations and hearts. A host of bluebells appears just beyond the horizon as we imagine joining Rowland in his childhood Yorkshire dales, water lapping at his feet as he creates the fantastical waterfall from his childhood above us.

Protean-like in structure, Rowland’s play embraces the chaos of the world, trailblazing through a flurry of emotive and personal stories which allows us to see him as a performer at the end of his life, sharing with us the things that matter most to him, and by the end of the show, to us.

Rowland is a fine performer and a master storyteller at the top of his game, all we can hope is that, though his Anatomy Lecture Theatre trilogy of plays has ended, he will continue to create bold, brave and beautiful work.

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