REVIEW | One Way Mirror, The Pleasance
★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Eleanor
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
One Way Mirror, written and performed by Jonathan Oldfield, is the true story of a man living in London with a one way mirror in his living room. As passers by live their day to day lives, they have no idea that they are being watched. As John establishes parasocial relationships with the people outside, the audience must decide if he should keep his promise not to get involved or join them on the other side of the mirror.
This interactive piece of theatre is a brilliant exercise in self-reflection which was both funny and endearing, with the added charm of being able to decide the outcome and ending of the show. Anyone who enjoys people watching or describes themselves as an ‘introvert/extrovert’ will feel a real affinity with this material - this is the show for you!
As you enter the theatre you are greeted by a large free-standing mirror surrounded by spotlights on the floor and lots of smaller mirrors and notebooks suspended from the ceiling. Over the top of this, futuristic music plays. I found this to be both intriguing and perplexing, wondering how this would connect to the show as a whole. The music then stops abruptly and Jonathan enters with a cheery ‘Hello!,’ wearing a dressing gown and holding a clipboard. This immediately caught me off guard. He begins by playing a quick word association game, allowing the audience to help the author with his introduction to the show, and asked everyone to take a picture of themselves and then a picture of him. This is how we were to decide how the show would progress. Johnathan quickly established a rapport with the audience and made everyone comfortable with the level of participation needed. Although it felt quite alien to keep my phone close by for the remainder of the show, this whole concept was very clever and something I have not come across before. It was then time for the first chapter of the show to begin.
One Way Mirror is split into three distinct sections as John shares tales of the people he can see from his side of the mirror. For each story he would take one of the notebooks suspended from the ceiling and read from it while looking intently into the mirror; his window into the outside world and the seemingly mundane lives of these ordinary people. These would then be interspersed with stories of his own life, where he would move around the stage and spin some of the suspended mirrors, explaining how he himself was affected by living with this unusual object. At the end of each chapter the audience were asked to make a simple choice; should John keep the promise he made to himself to stay removed, or should he get involved? The way Johnathan discusses these characters, whether they are real or not, makes them very vibrant. Although you never see them, his writing means you have a very clear picture of them in your mind. He is forever tempting you to want to reach out, through the mirror, and interact with them. The pacing of the show was also very consistent, and I enjoyed the frequent use of simple puppetry to illustrate snapshots of these stories. Props are also used well to maintain interest and add new elements to the staging.
In addition to Johnathan’s excellent storytelling, one of the other strengths of this show is the use of audience participation. As I have already mentioned, you were able to use your phone throughout to guide the direction of the story which is very effective. There were also occasions where individuals were brought on stage to play a more active role in the storytelling. This gave a real sense that everyone was telling the story as a collective and further strengthened Johnathan’s relationship with the audience. These moments also brought the most humour to the show and it was truly joyful to watch them unfold.
One Way Mirror as a show only has one act which lasted just over an hour. Although the show has now ended its run at the Pleasance Theatre in London, Jonathan Oldfield has announced further dates are planned at another venue later this year. This is a production I will certainly be keeping an eye on and I would recommend anyone to give their time. The show as a whole is well-paced and very intriguing with a narrative which leads you through story to story, with the mirror being the common thread. I particularly enjoyed how mundanely detailed the stories were and how Johnathan achieved so much on stage with so little. He created such a wonderful atmosphere within the theatre space and I wish him every success with the show going forward.
