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Seawall review: Captivating

An incredible, personal story that captures the audience’s attention from the outset.


Under the harsh lights of a bare white room stood Alex played by Kishore Thiagarajan-Walker. He paced back and forth alone at the front of the room in a reflective mood, he paid attention to those that walked in yet there was a ‘hole’ of sorts that he wanted to fill.

The trailer for the play stated that it was to be done in as natural lighting as possible with little sound effects. The room reflected this perfectly, and was a good choice.

A daunting task for any actor, to speak for 30 minutes non-stop at an audience. Yet as the audience slowly quietened under Alex’s intriguing gaze, a sense of ease washed over me regarding the execution of this piece.

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Alex played by Kishore Thiagarajan-Walker

Thiagarajan-Walker shone brightly through the naturalistic dialogue, picking expert moments to speak directly to audience members. His characterisation of Alex was all-consuming from the walk, to the playing of his nose. He handled the light and dark moments well and created an imaginary world which we could all see.

The audience followed his every move, and the 30-minute length of the play flew by. His performance was absolutely captivating and a real pleasure to watch.

However, I would have enjoyed watching him in-habit some of the others he was talking about more, but this is perhaps personal preference.

Despite this, the play was lovely, a type of theatre I have never watched before. It was a bold move, and not for the faint hearted, yet Snider and Blackstock understood it well. The time and effort it must have taken to delve into this character must have been immense, yet every minute was worth it. Thiagarajan-Walker should be incredibly proud of this performance.

I recommend a watch of this unique show!

Seawall will be performed on the 16th of November at Arlington House.