Review: Negotiating with the dead

If week five didn’t already make you question your belief system, seeing this play definitely will. Set in Karapinar, Turkey, in the middle of a desert, we observe the discovery of a mediaeval relic, jumping between archeologists finding it today and crusaders fighting for it a thousand years ago. The wooden cross confidently sits in the middle of the stage, observing people argue, fight, and die for it, making us question who people are dying for, and why a piece of wood can mean so much yet nothing in the end. 

“There’s nothing holy about what we’re doing here” exclaims one of the crusaders midway through the story. The show is filled with moments like these, where the audience is made to stop and think together with the characters and ask “what is this all for?”. In the end, we don’t really get an answer, but a message of hope that there is something out there worth living for. For those that can and want to believe, it can be faith, and those that were betrayed by it countless times, it’s the strength that after this breath the next one will come. 

The set design is intentional and effective, with lighting acting as an indicator of the time we’re in, putting in focus crucial parts of the scene while enhancing the beautifully written and performed script. I really enjoyed how the warmth of the light was used to make the silk draping softer and somehow older, transporting the audience back in time with a set that looked like it was in the current times not a second ago. 

Image credit: Albi Rix

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Ultimately, what makes or breaks a play are two things: The script and the actors. I am lucky to say that these two aspects worked wonderfully together, delivering a powerful performance. Marta Zalicka played Florine, an archeologist’s granddaughter to whom this mission was more than just discovering an ancient relic. With a forceful and convincing delivery, what Marta performed well in both time periods, grappling with her own faith, beliefs, and struggles. The lines between past and present were blurry, and Marta managed to walk this tightrope very well. She embodied the script, delivering beautiful quotes that made a lasting impression. Commanding the tone of the room with just her emotion, it was hard not to laugh and cry with her during the play. Izzy Lane as Isaiah, the priest, is the one who was supposed to make us all believe in the mission and the cause, and in the end wasn’t sure whether to do so himself. The desire for purpose battled the question of why it is that we do anything, and we could clearly see this battle play out on the stage as well.

The irony of museums, church, and private investors all fighting over the cross brought the necessary comic relief. The audience couldn’t stop laughing at one point, with confused and frustrated archeologists fighting their own internal wars, while also standing between the crossfire of politics and history. Irisa Kwok commanded the stage as the leader of the archeologist team, managing to stay human and vulnerable. In the midst of all the questions of higher power, having a character that is interested in dealing with practical problems was a refreshing reminder that anchored us back in reality. I might not necessarily agree with her stances, but I appreciate the existence of a parallel and urgency for addressing real-world issues that contrasted the questions of higher power that came up so often.

Image credit: Albi Rix

I believe this play did everything and more of what a play should do. It made the audience laugh, cry, and ask questions. Every audience member found something valuable in this hour and a half questioning of faith, belief, and morals. It is emotional, but not in your face. It exists in front of you, pulls you ins and lets you feel for a second what the characters are feeling. Above all, what is most important, it is entertaining and convincing, and it is due to the cast and script that I had the privilege of being able to witness art on stage. I recommend this play to people of all, and no beliefs, as the question of religion is addressed in a broad and approachable manner. It is fast-paced and had me hooked from the first to last minute, which is not something I can say about a lot of plays.

5/5 

Negotiating with the dead is showing Wednesday 12th – Saturday 16th November at the Corpus Playroom. Book your tickets here.

Featured image credits: Albi Rix