Blink, by Phil Porter, was first produced in the UK in 2012.
It’s a generous-spirited meditation on the nature of love.
We’re inclined to believe love is all about communication. But connection can be made in ways other than words.
In this love story, the two characters Jonah and Sophie talk more to us than to each other. Their relationship is based on attention.
She wants to be watched. He wants to watch.
Photo by Robert Catto
That our life is worthy of attention is, of course, greatly comforting. Until the advent of Jonah, Sophie had begun to feel she was invisible.
Jonah was raised on a Christian commune. Perhaps it was in this overly vigilant community that he learnt the power of watching.
(When faced with the criticism that their God is too judgmental, some Christians answer that the belief that someone is paying attention, and cares what they do, is exactly what they find so attractive.)
This production by Luke Rogers is very funny, utterly charming and deeply thought provoking. Charlotte Hazard as Sophie and James Raggatt as Jonah give beautifully pitched performances. They gently draw out what is laughable about these quirky characters, but also find the truthfulness that makes them deeply lovable.
I don’t want to give the impression this is some sort of religious play. It’s not. But it does explore themes that have drawn many of the great mystics, of all traditions.
Talking to the one we love maybe important, but the silent acceptance of their presence and the simple acknowledgement of their otherness is where love begins, and where it finds fulfillment.
Paul Gilchrist
Blink by Phil Porter
Kings Cross Theatre til March 4
Tix and info here
Theatre Red 