Review: TOO MUCH WORLD AT ONCE, HOME Manchester - Tour

Photo credit: Chris Payne

Kickstarting their UK tour, the Box of Tricks Theatre Company bring Billie Collins’ new play Too Much World at Once to HOME in the heart of Manchester.  This debut play from Collins is a quirky yet beautiful piece that explores themes of queer identity, family, and the climate crisis of our world.

This lyrical coming-of-age story follows Noble, a teenage boy growing up in rural England with his schoolteacher mum and his zoological field assistant sister who is away working across the world on Bird Island.  On his fifteenth birthday, Noble wakes up with a sense of feeling different to before, and transforms into a bird.  Unsure of what is happening to him, he knows that he needs to find his way to his sister, and he lays low with support from misfit Ellis until he feels it’s time to take flight.

Directed by Box of Tricks’ Joint Artistic Director Adam Quayle, this unusual take on a coming-of-age story is wonderfully told with a beautiful simplicity to the piece.  In collaboration with Movement Director Aiden Crawford, Quayle has blended naturalism with a more physically abstract telling of this tale.  Using Noble’s transformation into a starling as inspiration, the movement between the four actors in some sections of the play has been directed to be reminiscent of the natural phenomenon of starling murmurations, which is elegant to watch and very clever of the creatives.

Comprised of a cast of four talented actors, Too Much World At Once stars Paddy Stafford as Noble, Alexandra Mathie as mum Fiona, Evie Hargreaves as sister Cleo, and Ewan Grant as Ellis.  All four performers work seamlessly together and each of them bring a unique energy to the performance space.

One element to this production that really builds the atmosphere throughout is the striking lighting design from Richard Owen and sound design from Lee Affen.  Together, the lighting and sound work in harmony to create various moods, including the peace of the barn and the chaos of the approaching storm.

Too Much World At Once is a beautiful tale of a teenage boy making sense of his place in the world and his family growing up queer in rural England.  With a brilliantly crafted script from Billie Collins, the creatives at Box of Tricks Theatre have really brought the story to life onstage. 

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway

Too Much World at Once plays at HOME Manchester until 11 March before touring. For further information, please click here.