In Transit
The Blue Elephant Theatre
2nd October 2014

★★★☆☆

Never mind New York, London is a city that never sleeps. There's so much hustle and bustle; we rarely stop to acknowledge the other eight million people who share the same space. There are a lot of other lives that pass by us and they're all fleeting, but no less important. We move constantly and then suddenly, we're at the end of the the line, game over. Really, we spend our whole lives here always in transit from one key moment to another.

Without reading the synopsis beforehand - and as a critic, I never do, I think it's cheating - it's not immediately clear how the 27 characters (all played by Florence Leon) in Artichoke Theatre's show In Transit all link together. However, gradually one clear voice emerges and it's Ella who is our constant. We see her grow from a schoolgirl into a wife and a mother. There's further confusion as to whether we're watching linear time unfold, daydreams, prophecies, flash-forwards, or flashbacks - but actually, this creates an ethereal and very fluid sense, fitting nicely with the transition theme of the production.

It's difficult to suggest how to make the narrative seem more focussed whilst keeping this a one-woman show; Leon's very physical performance separates out all the different characters to a good extent, but that doesn't necessarily help us in identifying which of those characters represents a version of Ella. Some are her; others are people with whom she's interacted in the past. In a simple world, one person would play Ella at all the different stages of her life, and someone else would play the other 26 characters. Although Leon does put on a jacket at one point, she essentially wears the same outfit throughout the piece so her clothing doesn't indicate who she's playing.

Switching from one character to another so rapidly takes a great deal of energy and skill, both of which Leon possesses in abundance, but there has to be some way of discerning which of those characters are Ella, even if that involves some kind of prop. It's not a perfect or elegant solution, but the alternative involves disentangling Leon from the show and bringing in a second actor to take away some of her parts, and I'm not sure I want that either. Leon really does bring a huge amount of gusto and it is a pleasure to watch in action, even if her performance is occasionally confusing. Leon, together with co-director Graham Shackell, really get the movement right, but they also need to bring more clarity to the plot itself.

There are plenty of ordinary moments - bureaucratic fights in waiting rooms, squabbling with classmates at school - whilst these are intended to show us snapshots of Ella's life, sometimes they distract us from the main thread of the piece, which weaves its way in and out of a deliberately complicated jumble of memories. In a piece of this nature, it's hard to get the balance right between coherent and dream-like.

The ending does neatly deal with any unresolved questions, and it explains the initial dance sequence, but I would have liked to really get behind this production sooner, or at least see more signposting. You could argue that Leon - who has devised this show as well as starring in it and co-directing - has chosen to go with a big reveal, and that's perhaps a valid approach. However, in structuring the show this way, it's not until very close to the end that Leon really gets the opportunity to pour raw emotion into her performance, and that's what we would have liked to empathise with earlier. It becomes a tragi-comedy with very little of the tragi- element. The comedy entertains and there are some laughs which cleverly blindside us, but more glimpses into Ella's anguish would bolster the overall impact.

Although Leon may be the only performer, she is aided by two musicians, Rhys Lovell (who has also designed the music) and William Calderbank. The use of the double bass and cello adds sophistication and helps establish the mood, particularly when Leon's performance is ambiguous. The lighting design by James Morris is also worthy of comment - it really brings out the sentiment in the dance sequences, with flashes of red and white framing Leon on stage as her character battles with uncertainty, anger and grief.

It may take us a while to figure out why we're in transit and why that matters, but the start and end are strongly crafted and there are some interesting detours. The script does need tightening up, but Leon's performance is mesmerising and this is certainly a positive start to the new season at the Blue Elephant. We can't wait to see where the venue takes us to next.

In Transit opened on 2nd October and runs until 4th October, then from 9th to 10th October 2014 at the Blue Elephant Theatre.

Nearest tube station: Oval (Northern)