The Marvellous Life of Carlo Gatti

This play is an exploration of fate, the impact of using others for self-centred ends and the ultimate questions about finding meaning in life. Two lonely and unhappy people (Shamita Siva, Psychologist and El Kliley, Physicist) are searching for a safe and nurturing place in life and find themselves connected across time. Their relationship grows under the influence of the Pianist (Connor Dariol) who is looking for his own connection to life and uses their pain to meet his needs.

The play dips in and out of the ‘real’ lives of the two central people including the work with a patient (Haley Edwards), and the world brought into being through the interventions of the Piano Player. A rich variety of ideas from Quantum Physics through to 42, the pressures of work, the damage the Psychologist and Physicist trail behind them from their childhoods and present family demands provide the ground for the impulse to connect, trust and find meaning in a growing friendship.

The actors deliver the play’s overall emotional intensity balanced with moments of joy, humour and charm.

The staging has separate areas for each character and a shared space where they interact. Much of the interaction of the characters was set at the back of the stage and there were times when the actors were not audible.

The lighting, sound and music were commendable and provided a solid and supportive backdrop for the action of the play.

The play’s initial proposition that “the world has a plan and that it is not about you” is challengingly explored through the tender understanding of the three central characters and their pain.

Ruth Richter

Photographer: Sarah J Clarke