ECHO at the Royal Court Theatre

As part of the LIFT 2024 Festival, Nassim Soleimanpour’s ECHO has arrived at the Royal Court Theatre. And in his typical style, he has given us another social experience for viewers and actors alike: submersing the audience in a world unbeknownst to them, and the actor on stage. ECHO follows Nassim’s journey from Iran to Germany, and the implications of standing up to the state, all through the eyes of the actor on stage. The same actor never plays the role more than once and has no prior knowledge of the show, its contents or what they are to do. Other than, in this instance, to bring a pair of white socks.

Adrian Lester was the subject of Soleimanpour’s social experiment on this occasion. He did a stellar job of facilitating a well-thought-out show with no rehearsals, scripts or direction, apart from what was relayed in his ear. The level of expertise needed to execute such a performance is commendable, and a feat worth celebrating. It would have been great if Lester had given more to the improvised parts to help fully immerse the audience in the story being told. Still, it is understandable that with shows like this, how much you put in or take away from the piece depends entirely on you as a person performing.

Writing a self-portrait in 80 minutes is not an easy task to undertake, so for Soleimanpour to do so in a revolutionary format, with screens, live streams and a script that isn’t revealed until it is performed, made for a very didactic play, and one that left audiences with questions both answered and unanswered. It is a shame, however, that it did not go further to bridge the gap to the microcosmic story being told – especially where political shows are concerned, it is hard for an audience to rise for the cause portrayed on stage if the cause is so personal to the life of the one telling it.

In a way, perhaps this was Soleimanpour’s entire venture here. We do see the main actor (in this case Lester) stepping into the shoes of Nassim and embodying his life, making it one with his own, and the quest may be for the audience to do the same. However, the story being told doesn’t naturally lead the audience to think of the macrocosm being alluded to, because of the distinctive and individualised experience relayed.

One thing that can be said is this weaving together of time, history and life is a beautiful and innovative way to see the world in which we live, and this show does this in a way that can only enhance the way we approach life, and the people with in it.

Natallia Pearmain
Photos: Manuel Harlan

ECHO is at the Royal Court Theatre from 13^th until 27^th July 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.