Paradise Lost (Lies Unopened Beside Me): An ACH Outing

This week the ACH team took some time out from our busy architecture schedule to see Lost Dog bring their iconic staging of Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost back to the Battersea Arts Centre. 10 years on from its stage debut the performance continues to utilise movement, comedy and a single man to portray the story of creation all within 75 minutes.

image by Zoe Sanders

Olivier Award-nominated performer Sharif Afifi takes on the play’s singular role, telling the story of creation through dance and theatre. He utilises his body and a few props, including a Velcro fig leaf and a barrage of chickpeas, to delve into the complex relationship between creation and surrender. In an interview with Theatre Review Afifi muses on "how creation never plays out as we imagined and it will always run its own course.  Surrender is the only way to survive it." He reflects on how this was also true of his own creative process and exploration of the character.

Ben Duke, its creative writer, distils Milton’s 11,000 line original adding dry wit and a modern twist. He draws parallels between God and a father, both creating little people who idolise them and for whom they would sacrifice anything to protect. He highlights this through breaks in the character playing God, his performance disrupted by a child playing or taking too long to get ready for school. His worry and frustration at fatherhood humanises the all-powerful deity creating an interesting vulnerability, he is shown as a flawed character. Just like his creations.

Taking place on a simple stage, as expected of Duke’s signature use of poor theatre, the show utilises a diverse soundscape to create drama and exaggerate the story told by Afifi. Everything from Janis Joplin to angelic choirs accompanies the performance, immersing the audience in the narrative.

The team here at ACH thoroughly enjoyed the show and commend Afifi on his engaging performance. There are still some tickets left for the show’s run, but act fast as the final performance takes place on the 5th of April!

This blog has been written by Amber, our studio manager. Amber is a 2020 Communication Design graduate from the Glasgow School of Art and founder of Bloom & Body, a small ceramics business focusing on the human form.