The English Guide to...

I read a review of John from the Daily Mail which called it a " National DISGRACE". Which mostly served to make me want to see it more. Hannes Langolf performing as John It's brought to us by the physical theatre group DV8 , whose name alone is probably enough to put off the average daily mail reader. It's a piece of verbatim theatre which means that the words are taken directly from real situations - in this case interviews with a number of people. The play begins by focussing on the title's John with the tragic, painful story of his upbringing. The script, taken directly from the words of real people is made into a visual display by the graceful yet powerful movement of the dancers (should that be actors? ).  One thing that works very well and feels incredibly fresh is how the dancers are not silent during their pieces. We are so used to dancers becoming mute the moment they enter the stage, that it is exciting (and pretty impressive) to hear them ...