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Trust
Byron is playing at
Burton Taylor Theatre from 24 - 26 September
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Tonight
I saw a one man play, which is probably the riskiest type of theatre
- it's either great or really bad. At first, it was the opening
song London Calling that pulled me in, but slowly I got caught up
in the controversial world of Lord Byron, portrayed by the handsome
Niall Costigan wearing tails with jeans - sounds strange but it
worked.
George
Costigan took a familiar story and made it just different enough
so that it feels like the first time we're hearing it. Byron's words
and Costigan's modern rethinking of Byron are so cleverly woven
together that they become something new and inspiring.
Niall
Costigan chatted with the audience, acknowledged our presence, asked
us questions and invited us in to his vivid, Romantic world. I was
hooked after the first act: I wanted to know more, not just about
Byron's life but his thoughts: how he saw his life and what he thought
about how others portrayed him. He made you want to take a chance,
to be self-indulgent, to "Live" with a capital L, as he
put it.
It's
hard to imagine that Byron died when he was only 36 and yet lived
such a full life and accomplished so much. I have to admit that
I usually don't like theatre that's derivative, but this play is
a great rethinking of what Byron means today. It's of a celebration
of life, of living to the fullest, telling us that we can do more
and should want more, and that there is a glory in taking everything
we can get out of life. Whew! If you ever doubted that classic literary
figures can't still breathe some life into you, they sure can -
Trust Byron.
Reviewed
by Rebekah Roy
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