And Then There Was No One
Reviewed by Larry Borman, 8th May 2018
The No One Theatre Company has a long tradition of innovation, and their latest offering is no exception. Moving on from the ephemeral nature of last year’s performance art, they have now turned to capturing their work on celluloid (in a metaphorical sense, of course) with the recent establishment of the No One Film Unit. Their first film, And Then There Was No One, takes the conventional tropes of the murder mystery play and inverts them – in No One’s interpretation, it is clear from the start that there will be neither murder nor mystery.
As we have come to expect with No One’s productions, the ensemble cast is outstanding. The performers bring a wealth of diverse experiences to their very different characters, but they blend together seamlessly so that the piece as a whole works like a well-oiled clockwork clock. There were many memorable moments and every member of the cast deserves a mention. As always in No One productions, people never have names but only ‘descriptions’, so all of the following should be commended for their magnificent contributions: The Synchronised Swimmer, The Statistician, The Wood Shaper, The Arctic Adventurer, The Orchard Explorer, The Maker, The Campervan Man, The Knitter, The Spoon Carver, The Teacher, The Experimenter and The Piano Player.
SPOILER ALERT: Plot summary follows
A rich and famous actor, called The Actor, has compiled a list of people who have caused him some mild irritation over the course of his lifetime. Examples include a member of an audience whose mobile phone rang during a performance, and a neighbour who once parked a car across his drive. He rents a house in Canterbury, and sends out invitations to attend a lunch party there to all of those on his list. He simply signs the invitations ‘Mr G’ and does not state the purpose of the party.
When the guests arrive at the house, they find that none of them know each other and they are unclear about why they are there. They sit down for lunch but the conversation becomes increasingly stilted and eventually they finish the meal in silence. Unknown to those in the house, The Actor is sitting alone in a caravan in the garden throughout this. After lunch, a video is found and the guests sit down to watch it. The face of The Actor appears on the screen, but he is heavily disguised so they do not recognise him, and his message is so cryptic that they do not understand it.
All of the guests now desperately want to leave, but their politeness overcomes them and they feel obliged to stay and attempt to maintain conversations with their fellow guests. Eventually, one by one, as their stamina fades, they leave the house until no one is left. As they depart, they feel a sense of unease and mild irritation. They still do not know the purpose of the invitation, what they were supposed to do at the party, or why they thought it was a good idea to come in the first place. The Actor, still alone in his caravan, smiles.