Time Bomb

Starts coach stop, Castle Street ***

Memories aren’t all that interesting in themselves. What makes them interesting is how they relate to the present day, how they imprint themselves on minds and bodies, and, ultimately, how they define who we are.

Time Bomb (above) is a multilayered journey – metaphorically and in reality – into reminiscences but, although the performance revealed many eloquent personal stories, only a few made a lasting impact.

After a half-hour bus trip, complete with memory “warm-ups”, the audience arrives at the mystery location – a theatre space. On a stage, set with a limited palette of black and white, the performers depict individual stories through speech and movement, mainly drawing on childhood memories.

Some were archetypal – sunny days and the smell of freshly cut grass – but others were deeply personal, like Yvonne O’Reilly’s stark and lucid reminiscences and Emilie Champenois’ danced and spoken meditation on memory.

At these moments, an absorbing connection was drawn between past and present.

Ends today.