Review: How to Disappear Completely

How to Disappear Completely

Peacock, Abbey Theatre

****

Itai Erdal is a theatre lighting designer who sets himself the task of throwing light on a difficult subject – assisted dying. Erdal has been told he is a great storyteller. “I’ve seen a lot of places, done a lot of interesting things . . . I’ve broken all of the 10 Commandments.” No wait, that’s not true – he hasn’t worshipped a false idol.

Before he got into lighting, Erdal had aspirations of becoming a documentary filmmaker. So when his mother was diagnosed with lung cancer he shot hours of footage during the nine months of her illness – of her, his sister, his stepfather, his best friend, himself.

Here Erdal interlaces that footage with plenty of humour and engaging tutorials about how to light a stage, how to light people, how different lights create warmth or coldness – and how effective darkness can be.

The allegory works, for the most part, and Erdal manages to enlighten and entertain. Ends Sep 20