Written by Jacob Sparrow

Directed by Josh Seymour

Review by Harri Dimdore-Miles

Ace Dome at Pleasance Dome

Casting director turned first time play write Jacob Sparrow debuts ‘Sanctuary’ at the Fringe this year. “Sanctuary” transports us to a Suffolk village in the 90’s where Mary (unseen) dreams of converting her barn into an AIDS hospice. Her vision is opposed by the panic-stricken local parish council who don’t want ‘that disease’ in their town. Michael (Matthew Tennyson) has been diagnosed with HIV and has sought refuge at Mary’s house for years. Feeling unwelcomed he tries quietly leave the village, when an unnamed overly curious older man (Richard Cant), traps him in an invasive conversation about the past.

The play takes place in a single scene, capturing the two men’s conversation across a kitchen table. Cant as the unnamed stranger is unmistakably comfortable on stage; we feel quickly at ease in his ability to hold the room. He acts expertly with his eyes, portraying empathy, anticipation or upset with every subtle shift. Much of his character’s time on stage is spent listening to Michael speak, but his presence is never minimised by his lack of dialogue. There’s a supernal and surrealist tone to the play from the start, one which Cant skilfully creates with his intense but elusive presence.

Tennyson’s character Michael, on the other hand, explodes at the audience with uncontrollable openness about his past love affairs, his anger and his loneliness. Tennyson shows incredible endurance, with these bursts of feeling he delivers in each monologue style response to the old man’s questioning. His physicality at points is mesmerizing as he recreates moments of intimacy or sorrow with his words and body. Director Josh Seymour does an excellent job at producing scenes with motivated movement, transporting the audience seamlessly through memories of beaches, clubs and bedrooms.

Tennyson’s character flips between an intense openness and a wariness of the older man, however this yo-yoing presented as somewhat unnatural. At points the dynamic between the two feels confused, uncomfortable even. They are presented to us as two strangers, but this never feels convincing in their interactions. Whilst this is most likely a stylistic choice, foreshadowing later twists, it makes their interactions in the first half of the show jolty and the later reveal slightly unsurprising. That being said there are also moments of closeness between the two, that are utterly moving. The scenes with music and dancing really bring out the best in their confusingly familiar dynamic.

The dialogue itself is dense, filled with poetic gems, smart quips and plenty of feeling – a real success for a first-time writer. The plot is compelling – especially the retelling of past love affairs and the heart-breaking ending of a companionship Michael shares with the awkward young boy he minds in the village. The dream of the HIV hospice was essentially background to Michael’s love and loneliness. Whilst his story is compelling it felt a shame not to spend more time on the hospice and the ongoings dynamics between the ‘narrow minded’ village folk that Michael detests.

‘Sanctuary’ is nonetheless a well written, skilfully acted surrealist story that’s heaviness carries with you. The characters feel very rounded, such that you find yourself imagining whether they are content with their life now, or whether they still reside in the village – forgetting for a minute they are pieces of Sparrow’s clever piece.

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