'Her' at Half Moon Theatre

'Her', the latest collaboration by Half Moon Theatre and Brolly Productions is a live graphic novel, which encapsulates stage theatricality, film and animation expertise and clever technology - to tell the audience how the life of a fifteen year old female is clearly not all boys, lipstick and smartphones; all across the globe. 'Her' runs till Tuesday 7th February at the Half Moon Theatre before touring the rest of the UK.

'Her' at Half Moon Theatre



'her house is gone

Her home is destroyed

Her world has changed

… I am her'

'Her', the latest collaboration by Half Moon Theatre and Brolly Productions is a live graphic novel, which encapsulates stage theatricality, film and animation expertise and clever technology - to tell the audience how the life of a fifteen year old female is clearly not all boys, lipstick and smartphones; all across the globe.

Our normal protagonist comes home to find: her house gone, her neighbours gone and streets deserted. 'Her' charts a 'dark and twisted world' where war, politics and survival have made an innocent female an alien in her own country. One actor navigates the disturbing realities faced by children in conflict zones and the unsettling choices they are forced to make.

Bristol Old Vic graduate Shala Nyx plays all roles; male and female. Whether she's a schoolgirl, a soldier, young mother or even a domineering coach driver... it's safe to say she should be congratulated for taking on this demanding project. She's risen to the challenge and is a talented professional. There are moments of narrative disclarity, however I do not feel that Nyx is accountable for this. One particularly memorable scene, is where Nyx has to prove her worth in order to (as she thinks) get a bus ticket. Chilling is an understatement for this scene. Alongside the screen animations, there's no holding back as director Dominic Hingorani subverts our expectations by showing us what we don't expect to see.

A particular risk with one-person shows is they can lack a certain 'something' - typically interaction on stage, which makes theatre what it is. 'Her' fell into this trap and although Nyx engaged with screen characters, the energy was different and left the audience restive. With social media dominating society, I'm unsure that I want this trend of technology dominating a scene to continue and leave the audience a little withdrawn, rather than pulsated.

There's no doubt that 'Her' is a compilation on truthful research and honest testimony from cases in Syria, or Bosnia. A play entirely about a female perspective is satisfying in our patriarchal society and relatable to Khaled Hosseini's bestseller 'A Thousand Splendid Suns', who now has a London play of his hit 'The Kite Runner' ('TKR'). 'Her' is the male counterpart to 'TKR', which I adore! But, overall, 'Her' has achieved its purpose of educating its audiences, but is occasionally too 'bitty' and the story is confusing. I'm not saying I disliked it, I appreciated 'Her' and know it wasn't entirely satisfying to me but others may feel differently. Let me know your comments below.

Half Moon Theatre is an Arts Award Supporter. You can see their profile here and their website is here.

Follow the 'Her' tour via the Brolly Productions' website.

Author

Kheira Bey

Kheira Bey Contributor

A very busy bee in the arts world. Kheira is an actress, living and working in London and loves anything fresh in the world of theatre, film and art. She works across theatre and film, and is trying to get better at watering her plant collection. She has previously contributed to: Voice Magazine, The Everyday, The Sun and Good Morning Britain; and is passionate about championing female narratives and new work. Arts Award Activist 2016/17 and Vaults Festival fanatic.

We need your help supporting young creatives

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Kheira Bey

1 Comments

  • Luke Taylor

    On 9 February 2017, 10:37 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    Seeing one-woman shows certainly have a lot of power nowadays. I would love to see something like this!

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

West End Actor Interrogates Stereotyping Faced by Latinx People in Soho Theatre Solo Show

West End Actor Interrogates Stereotyping Faced by Latinx People in Soho Theatre Solo Show

by Daniel Miller

Read now