★★★★★
Like many other audience members, I left this show in tears. I had been swept away by the dark and emotive reflections of the past hour and stepping back into the light of the real world felt raw and vulnerable.
Love Beyond is a beautiful depiction of love and loss. It interweaves the loss arising from grief with the loss of one’s identity and voice. Written and performed by Ramesh Meyyappan, the story follows Harry, a deaf man who is living with dementia.
As he moves into assisted living accommodation, his only companion is his nurse, Elicia Daly. Whilst compassionate and patient, she initially doesn’t sign and this leaves an isolating communication barrier between the two.
What follows is a visceral and powerful depiction of the realities of dementia, the cruel passage of time, and the language barriers encountered by the deaf community.
The set is dimly lit and stark, and creates a sense of unease with the audience. Harry’s room is almost bare apart from a photo of his late wife and a collection of pebbles to remind him of the life he once lived. The production uses three backlit screens, doubling as mirrors, which creatively show the memories of Harry as a young man, played with uncanny accuracy and physicality by Rinkoo Barpaga. A patchwork recollection of his life is slowly revealed to the audience, particularly his connection with his wife, played with great warmth by Amy Kennedy – which makes her inevitable loss all the more tragic.
Love Beyond doesn’t use captioning, meaning a deaf audience will struggle to understand what the nurse is saying at first, before she learns to sign, and a hearing audience won’t understand what Harry is signing (or the conversation that passes between Harry and the nurse entirely in sign at the end). This was a really effective technique with audience members having to guess or estimate what is being said at certain points. This deftly portrays the frustrating language barrier and the desperation and anger that can accumulate when one isn’t understood – a doubly frightening prospect when faced with the looming possibility of losing it forever.
Ramesh Meyyappan’s depiction of Harry is a wonder to behold. He desperately tries to hold on to what he has whilst battling the uncompromising reality of dementia. Love Beyond is a powerful, moving visual spectacle with a strong cast combining with excellent staging, direction and sound design.
It isn’t for the faint of heart but it will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss, love, and heart-break. Powerful and ground-breaking.
Love Beyond is on at Assembly George Square until August 25th
