Woohoo – it’s been such a successful show that they’ve added a few more dates and it’s now running until the 22nd February. I would definitely recommend that you go and see it and the tickets are not expensive (£9-£16). I’m not sure if it was the copious amount of wine I drank before the show in their rather nice downstairs bar, but I thought it was a very clever, funny play. Surprisingly so, given that there are only two performers and one of them spends his entire time up a tree.
The set is impressively simple, but it’s the clever banter that works so well and keeps the audience captivated for the entire 90 minutes. Their timing is excellent. I’m not entirely sure I get the overall message. I guess it’s about commitment, making judgements and the choices we make in life.
The blurb simply says it’s “the London premiere of a (relatively) new play about dissent, commitment, two people and a tree”. Daniel Kitson is the writer and director and he is also the one with a very large beard who spends his entire time up the tree. Tim Key is his partner in crime on the ground.
Tree was originally written by Daniel in his house during August of 2013, before being re-written, learnt, and rehearsed with Tim at Battersea Arts Centre and was designed and staged at the Manchester Royal Exchange that same September.
I was interested to see that they offer a “Relaxed performance” as an option during the day, because unless they’re both lying in hammocks I really don’t see how the play could get any more relaxed than it already is. That said, woe betide anyone who dares to get their phone out – then the tension massively rises – Daniel got very pissed off with a member of the audience for texting during the play SO DON’T DO THAT unless it’s a matter of life and death. It’s because he’s sitting up high in a tree and can therefore see from a birds eye perspective and you really don’t want to piss him off….
