A desperate father and daughter trapped in a civil war beyond their understanding. Innocents in a guilty world. Naive to the knowledge that surrounds them. Backstairs Influence presented a focused look at people basically trying to carry on in the face of insurmountable horrors – they created their own space among the remains of their home and showed it to the soldiers at large by a poignant, little, wooden gate.

Directed by John Wright – the cast of six are all ex-students of his – this piece is a marvel in how to create characters with genuine depth in a Surreal world. The stage is a circle of 5000 shoes and I'm sure that each member of the packed theatre had their own interpretation for these. ‘He’ is looking for his wife among the chaos, whereas ‘she’, the daughter, childishly recreates her mother's role as best she can. Played by Jason Thorpe and Emma Powell, the characters instantly form a very strong bond with the audience, which itself circles the circle of shoes. This bond is vital to the play's success. Emma's simplistic beauty on stage beckoned permission from us to continue with her clowning. Constantly interrupted by guns and battles in and around their home – even the gunfire formed a rhythm for dancing the tango.

This kind of new work is certainly to be encouraged. She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain will be a part of the London International Mime Festival. Don't miss it!