Sense of an Ending, Theatre 503 ★★★★★

Sense of an Ending, Theatre 503 REVIEW: Culture Whisper says ★★★★★
 
The Rwandan genocides are not a topic that one would immediately jump to when considering theatrical material, yet this all too recent horror forms - rather effectively - the backdrop to Sense of an Ending.

Sense of an Ending play
The play tells the tale of the atrocities though the eyes of African American journalist Charles who is attempting to resurrect his waning and scandal-hit career with the story of two nuns accused of assisting in the murder of a vast number of Tutsis who took refuge in their church. However, the appearance of Dusabi, a Tutsi with his own version of events to tell, causes Charles to question everything that he holds to be true.
While Cecilla Carey and Harriet Bennett’s set and costumes really brought the play to life, a special mention must also go to Max Perryment for the evocative soundscape.
All five actors inhabit their roles well, with the stand out performance coming from Kevin Golding as genocide survivor Dusabi; the scene in which he recounts his terrifying ordeal had us utterly transfixed as Golding manages to play heartbreakingly vulnerable and unfathomably strong in the very same breath.
The play does have its lighter moments, with Charles’ lack of comic talent in particular proving surprisingly funny, yet it is not ultimately an easy piece of theatre to watch.
Ken Urban: playwright
Ken Urban's script focuses on questioning narratives – What do we assume of people at first glance? What are human beings capable of? How far can we trust what we are told?
Thankfully, Sense of an Ending does not try to answer these questions, but rather poses them to its audience as the complex puzzles that they are. When dealing with an event as horrific as genocide, perhaps the only way to present is it in the personal – the small accounts that create the bigger picture – and this is something that Sense of an Ending does with great success.