Ascension has been adapted for the stage by Dan Hazelwood from the dark and haunting diary entries of Leendert Hasenboch an 18th Century Sailor who was cruelly treated for being homosexual.
Hasenboch had been working in a warehouse when he is caught in an homosexual encounter. Jan, his unscrupulous employer catches him and threatens to expose him unless he agrees to pay him for his silence. Hasenboch feels he has no alternative but to flee and get away from Jan. However, as we discover he manages to find him no matter where he goes.
The play confirms his sexuality and throughout the performances there’s the theme of him running away. Each time he settles or finds love, Jan reappears, and he has to go away and escape his clutches. Such a sad and tortured life when all he wants to do is love and to be loved.
Escaping on board a ship offers refuge and sanctuary from the torment and a chance to be free and work hard. When he is caught again in a homosexual encounter, he is abandoned on an island and left to survive alone without any supplies. He has to kill and locate water to stay alive.
Director Max Lindsay uses a minimalist stage setting allowing Hazelwood scope to move around, and when he joined by Conor Mainwaring who plays Andrew, his former lover their performances entwine and tell their stories freely.
The performances captured the story of despair, cruelty, and love in an unfair world where it was deemed to be a crime to be yourself.
Even today Homosexuality isn’t accepted in every country, with many still having draconian laws in place for those who are. There’s so much understanding these days it feels barbaric and cruel to enforce laws about who you choose to fall in love with.
For more information on Ascension, please visit the link below.
Four Stars
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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