Man of Valour Review- Absolut Fringe 2011

Man of Valour by The Corn Exchange is a unique and breathtaking piece of theatre. Fringe describe it as a "one-man action movie", and that is quite literally what it is. With superb direction from Annie Ryan, Paul Reid  succeeds where most actors would fail. Giving an astonishing performance Reid manages to transform the naked stage into the world of Farrell Blinks. Through perfected mime movements and polished sound effects, Reid sustains an energetic and committed performance for the 95 minutes he is on stage.

One could initially feel slightly uneasy with this production. The Corn Exchange leads us away from the spoon-feeding theatre that some companies produce. Man of Valour forces us to use our imagination, to visualise a grotty apartment, a crowded dart and a bustling office filled with stereotypical characters like the office flirt or the know-it-all enthusiast. Although effective visual and lighting effects help us, the reality is that the entire play relies on Reid. Fortunately, he gains our trust within minutes, allowing us to be guided by him, to be a part of his journey and to understand the complex mind of Farrell Blinks. His movements are so precise that one could believe that he was in fact being manoeuvred by a giant remote control.

Blinks is a man of shadows, apologetic for his own existence and trapped in a world of his own inadequacy. However, there are moments where the distressed, fidgeting man spirals into a world of imagination, bounding around the stage like an action figure, an inner desire to be someone, to be a hero.
These moments are often interrupted by the outside world and Blinks is suddenly catapulted back into dreary reality where he is alone. As the play progresses however, Blinks struggles to keep a hold on what is real and what is merely a figment of his imagination. Therefore, he is forced to confront his many demons.

The overall mood of the play is a dark one, filled with moments of poignancy where we witness a broken-down relationship between father and son and mild suggestions of abuse. Nonetheless, Reid's transformation into various characters, which he does to perfection, offers a comic relief that gives the production a good overall balance.

Although the ending could be perceived as cheesy, in my opinion Man of Valour is a must-see in this years Fringe Festival. Evidently, an enormous amount of gruelling hours went into this production, but The Corn Exchange certainly succeeds in producing a truly fantastic show. Therefore, it was no wonder that every single audience member was on their feet before Paul Reid had even taken his first bow.

Fionnuala Gygax- 15/09/11