The Vanishing Horizon - a true original from Idle Motion Theatre Company (From Hereford Times)

The Vanishing Horizon - a true original from Idle Motion Theatre Company

11:53am Friday 20th April 2012 in Leisure

INVENTIVE and imaginative, funny and moving, Idle Motion’s The Vanishing Horizon cleverly proves that theatre doesn’t have to rely on expensive sets and star names to create something really memorable.

The Vanishing Horizon, a piece about travel and flight which brings together the history of the fearless femail aviatrices of the early 20th century and a poignant personal drama, uses nothing more than dozens of suitcases - a powerful image of travel - opening to reveal props or transformed into something quite different: most memorably, a pair of cases become the wings of a bi-plane, and a single suitcase opens to reveal a wash-hand basin in a hotel room.

As James, played by Nicholas Pitt, records a broadcast of the history of manned flight, his girlfriend Anna (Ellie Simpson)is on a journey into the past - taking a plane halfway across the world to discover family secrets which lead her on a parallel journey through her own history. The two strands of the piece are seamlessly woven together with real originality - one memorable scene follows Anna on her flight to South Africa with such wit and creativity that you’d swear you’d been on a long-haul flight yourself. A combination of assured performances and beautifully realised effects create a show that leaves a lasting impression of the wonder of flight and the strange and disorienting shifts that travel can produce.

Though the narrative is the structure on which The Vanishing Horizon is built, it’s the visual excitement that stays in the mind, with the final suitcase thrown open to reveal one last beautiful surprise.

If you missed The Vanishing Horizon in Hereford, there’s still a chance to catch it (almost locally) in Bristol at the Tobacco Factory Theatre, from May 1 to May 5.