This explosion of a production romps through an in-depth exploration of Shakespeare’s sonnets, channelling the most physical of physical theatre forms and introducing elements of In Yer Face and Artuadian theatre along the way. The result is a risky and affecting piece that confronts the audience in challenging ways and feels fresh and relevant despite carrying the weight of a twenty year history behind it. Originally conceived in 1992, the piece has evolved through several incarnations of both cast and creative team but has remained thematically consistent thanks (as of course with Shakespeare’s work itself) to the universality of the issues explored.

This passionate exploration of the sonnets is breath-taking in the way it deconstructs them, ploughing the poems for meaning and subtext in a huge range of imaginative and creative ways. Sometimes viewed as explorations of courtly love, here the sonnets are presented as far darker matter altogether – as full of passion, violent emotion and yearning as any tumultuous love affair ever was. The vocal ability of the cast brought meaning and emotion to life in a way that purely academic study could never do, with Mairi Phillips in particular achieving a harmonious and emotionally taught delivery that I could have listened to all day! The cast (which also included Tibu Fortes and Joseph Reay-Reid) were exceptionally strong physical performers who performed the relentless stage business with guts and exceptional skill.

Despite very much respecting the skill and creativity of the piece, it was this relentlessness that did begin to numb me a little towards the final section of the piece. The visual spectacle of extreme physicality and sexuality, with characters at the height of sometimes violent passions skidding their way through champagne and roses via knives and punches, is undeniably extreme and thought provoking. However, it was the earlier tender moments and the variety of depictions of love that really appealed to me, and I was led to question whether the later extreme portrayals diminished some of the piece’s initial virtues. In this respect, there was certainly much food for thought and the sheer physicality and expressiveness of the production makes it exciting viewing.