Cow | Deer at the Royal Court Theatre
Prior to the commencement of Cow | Deer, an usher recommends the audience close their eyes to take part in this performance, defined as a listening experience. After this introduction, one is immersed for just under 60 minutes in a summer day in England, from the perspective of a deer and a heavily pregnant cow, purely through sound. There are no words uttered at all. Instead, it is up to four Foley performers and the recorded sound design of Melanie Wilson to re-create this world without dialogue, and the creativity on display in doing so is wholly impressive.
The stage space, arranged in an end-on formation, is comprised of a bank of hay bales topped with a wonderful array of various natural objects that flank a tank of water. Nine microphones are spread in front of these set pieces, and a booth is directly upstage where Tom Espiner and Ruth Sullivan, who “play” Cow and Deer respectively, go when portraying humans.
Once the lights are adjusted to semi-darkness, Espiner and Sullivan, with support from Tatenda Matsvai and Pandora Colin, gracefully move around and between one another, using their assortment of props to create the sounds that Cow and Deer make or come across in the most brilliantly inventive ways.
Be it a half-cut watermelon, cream rubbed between hands or a pair of gardening gloves, the play is full of fascinating methods to accurately mimic everyday sounds, which is why most people in the audience understandably keep their eyes open throughout the show. Nobody wants to miss out on this engrossing creativity, even if it means the performance becomes more of a watching experience than a listening one.
One notable thing that is missing, though, is a compelling narrative arc. While the semblance of a plot does integrate birth, separation and death, the opportunity for visceral impact from those potentially powerful moments is missed. The audience seems to be more engaged with how such moments are being skilfully recreated using sound and props. This interest, though, comes at the expense of being as drawn into these animals’ lives or as startled by the intrusive and damaging impact humanity has on their lives and existence as could have been achieved.
As such, the performance, overall, feels like an absorbing technical experiment that just requires a little re-evaluation for it to be a more successful endeavour in the future.
Francis Nash
Photos: Camilla Greenwell
Cow | Deer is at the Royal Court Theatre until 11th October 2025. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.
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