The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Cancel the Sunshine at the Hope

Cancel the Sunshine at the Hope | Theatre review
19 March 2016
Mersa Auda
Avatar
Mersa Auda
19 March 2016

Depression is notoriously misunderstood and difficult to define in clear terms. Cancel the Sunshine focuses on what the condition really looks like from moment to moment. The one-act stream-of-consciousness piece shows that the objective propelling sufferers forward is survival, rather than living. Every event, every conversation and every weekend are obstacles to overcome rather than welcome parts of life. Any vehicle that permits escapism is clutched at with both hands, until its relieving effect fades, and the frantic search for comforting thoughts once again begins.

The play unfolds in a messy bedroom where a young woman struggles to perform simple everyday actions without self-scrutinising and self-attacking. She phones her friends, gets ready to go out and Instagrams pictures, but instead of enjoying these routines, is constantly fighting with her thoughts. To counteract the damage, she attempts to make mental lists of all the things that she believes make her “normal”, but the pain from her past forcibly makes its way into her present, and she perceives everything around her through the lens of anxiety.

One of the play’s strengths is the high level of intimacy. There are no barriers between the audience and the personal space of the protagonist. This is not only due to the theatre’s cosy set-up; it is also the intimate nature of the writing that allows the walls of the protagonist’s room, and her world, to dissolve. Actress Maya Thomas is full of energy and keeps the audience glued throughout the character’s ups and downs, taking them right into the hysteria as well as the numbness.

The audience is presented with a snippet of time on a loop, rather than a narrative with a beginning and an end. This makes it an accurate depiction of the trap that depression can be: a tight world with no signposts and no exits. As a theatrical piece, however, the timelessness does to an extent deprive the play of shape, as the protagonist does not move far from her spot.

Perhaps due to the performance’s origin as a series of personal notes, some passages are overly descriptive and verbose. These parts evidently stand out as journal material that did not evolve to fit the stage. The combination of light, sound and video, however, really strengthens the play and allows Thomas a solid background to bounce against when the flow of words feels unnatural. Apart from providing an honest and touching picture of a sensitive subject, this is an important piece in that it aims to normalise all aspects of mental health issues, from struggle to therapy.

★★★★★

Mersa Auda

Cancel the Sunshine is on at the Hope Theatre from 15th March until 2nd April 2016, for further information or to book visit here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

Live Lab at The Yard Theatre: An interview with associate director Cheryl Gallagher

Mersa Auda
Read More

We Still Fax at ANTS Theatre Online

★★★★★
Samuel Nicholls
Read More

We Ask These Questions of Everybody: An interview with Amble Skuse and Toria Banks

Mersa Auda
Read More

Public Domain at Southwark Playhouse

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

Unlimited Festival at the Southbank Centre: Centre stage for diversity

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

RSC Next Generation: Young Bloods proves Shakespeare is timeless

Brooke Snowe
Read More

An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories

Selina Begum
Read More

A Livestream with David Bedella at Crazy Coqs Online

★★★★★
Regan Harle
Read More

Undercover at Morpheus Show Online

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Mersa Auda

Cancel the Sunshine

★★★★★

Dates

15th March - 2nd April 2016

Price

£12-£14

Links & directions

WebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Female filmmakers lead nominees for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards
    Cinema
  • An interview with Ifrah Ismael: Tales from the Front Line and other stories
    Theatre
  • Jeremiah Fraites – Piano Piano
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Persian Lessons
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Lonely the Brave – The Hope List
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Identifying Features
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • 23 Walks
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Live Lab at The Yard Theatre: An interview with associate director Cheryl Gallagher
    Theatre
  • We Still Fax at ANTS Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • We Ask These Questions of Everybody: An interview with Amble Skuse and Toria Banks
    Theatre
  • Identifying Features
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • We Still Fax at ANTS Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • WandaVision: Marvel’s charming sitcom proves an astounding success
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • The Queen’s Gambit: A chess story that’s not about the moves but the motives
    ★★★★★
    Cinema
  • Undercover at Morpheus Show Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

BU21 at Theatre 503 | Theatre review
Empire Awards 2016 red carpet: A chat with C-3PO, Andy Serkis, Johnny Vegas and Alexa Davies