A narrative of St Augustine of Canterbury, Precarious Theatre’s Conversion seeks to transform us all on the Lion & Unicorn Theatre
“It is a moist and dim land”
It must be mentioned you don’t get many performs set within the Dark Ages so for that alone, the parents of Precarious Theatre deserve a glance with their new play Conversion. Inspired by historic occasions, insofar because the historic document for that period exists, writers Marco Biasoli and Liam Grogan spin a story round St Augustine of Canterbury, a favorite son of the Vatican commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to transform the English to Christianity, solely to search out on his arrival that these ages aren’t essentially as darkish as marketed.
Conversion begins as a captivating take a look at a pre-medieval society by the eyes of a would-be coloniser, Augustine rocking up for this nice mission however discovering that Christianity has already been launched to England. What he additional discovers is a unique lifestyle to the cloistered one he has led so far, together with a wayward royal household, bureaucrats with doubtful ethical, some individuals all the time on the take and others motivated to construct a significant sense of group, whether or not by God or theatre.
Biasoli and Grogan’s intent is obvious, to recommend that sixth century society isn’t essentially as far faraway from modern life as we’d suppose and thru its assortment of curiously drawn characters, the play emerges as a dramatically heftier piece than one may need anticipated from one thing self-described as a hilarious comedy. And with an inclination in direction of extra philosophical musings, we lack a contact of the narrative propulsion wanted to energy by 90 minutes with out an interval.
Grogan additionally directs, leaning on an English people aesthetic to blended outcomes (considerably depending on how you’re feeling about morris dancing…). The giant crucifix of George Bennett’s set design is undeniably impactful however the bunting spinning off from it’s unwieldly and much too distractingly perilous for everybody navigating in, round and below it. Similarly, the element of the folk-themed costuming pulls focus whilst crowns, mitres and cloaks are variously donned to allow the corporate to multi-role easily.
Conversion thus feels fascinating fairly than absolutely intriguing, a world of characters with out fairly sufficient to do within the confines of this play however filled with potential for additional, extra dramatic exploration.