Written by David Greig

Directed by Jack Nurse

Review by Dominic Corr

Cumbernauld Theatre at The Lanternhouse: Tickets

Held under house arrest for charges of human trafficking, a man who stated that women ‘bear a responsibility’ for sexual assault and recently described as an ‘important voice’ for young men, this man has over ten million followers on Elon Musk’s X: predominantly young men, who share an ideal which finds a rotten core at the heart of The Events; a guttural cry from a beast we should have starved out long ago.

Misogyny shifts its guise, constantly changing, always adapting, always finding whatever form attracts. The unnerving relevance of David Greig’s The Events, initially premiering at the Traverse Theatre in 2013, in the wake of abhorrent Norway 2011 attacks, finds renewed relevance (though did it ever truly ebb) at Cumbernauld Theatre under Jack Nurse’s methodical and exceptional direction, lifting the Wonder Fool’s production into an explosion of colour and voice in this luridly surreal, though very much grounded, production which lingers in the darkness long enough to come to perhaps understand the beasts which lurk there. But it doesn’t have any answers, and it never would have.

Following the events leading up to, during, and after (though not in a refined order), Greig’s piece is a disguised two-hander with a large ensemble choir of a ‘Boy’ who takes a firearm to a community choir, one proud of its multicultural inclusivity and murders members of the choir, eventually arriving at the choir leader and one other member. But he only has one bullet left. With one reality-shattering line leaves Claire, priest and choir leader, with questions about the Boy’s motivations, which she struggles to answer politically, scientifically, or through faith.

Anyone who has taken in the Bard in the Botanics seasons in recent years has seen Sam Stopford forge a principal place within the repertoire, able to stand out even when paired with some of the companies’ most respected performers like Alan Steele or Nicole Cooper. It won’t be long before Stopford is spoken within the same rhetoric, deservedly so. The menagerie of beasts which Stopford summons is arresting: masculinity of brutish force, vulpine cunning and cruelty, even squalid whimpers of a little boy – it’s a fascinating exploration of character and made all the more impressive as they dip into additional roles within the story, each crafted with individuality thanks to Stopford’s work, Nurses’ direction, and the chemistry shared with Claire Lamont.

In an almost disarming presence as Clare (initially offering us a hot beverage and encouraging us to engage with the community choir), Lamont’s performance is strikingly earnest – but a plaster over a deep wound of trauma, one brought to the forefront in a resonating and harrowing performance which manifests survivor’s guilt. Similar to Stopford, the rawness of emotion and extent to which a performance can be carried is on full and eloquent display as Clare gradually runs out of avenues of explanation for the Boy’s actions, Lamont’s form breaking down physically as the desperation and displacement from the world grows.

And it’s a recognisable world with Becky Minto’s set design, emulating any other village or church hall – encircled within piled high slotted chairs. And save for a couple of surprises and utilised levels, Minto’s set is mainly a framework for Lizzie Powell’s powerfully effective lighting design, hellish as much as it is tranquil and cold. It bursts through the towers of chairs, sometimes spotlighted, other times plunging the room into a world of pain or punishment – always lifted back by the tones and sincere performances from the community choir, created from people across North Lanarkshire– who become an ensemble.

One of Nurse’s most potent pieces of direction, the pinpoint of two leading performances like these enable Nurse and Wonder Fool’s to gorgeously demonstrate the astute brilliance of Greig’s script chillingly. A contemporary nightmare: crafted with insight and boldness, The Events defies the concerns of being ‘numbed’ to relevance by being a classic piece of Scottish theatre, already adapted and manipulated for fresh audiences, resulting in a solid gut-punch of a production which will linger long after the choir’s harmonies silence, leaving only more questions.

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