Based on the first floor of The Fishing Museum on the seafront in Brighton, The Tower is an apocalyptic play that takes a bleak outlook into how the fast-changing climate damage will impact everyday life as we currently know it, the changes in seasons and rising water levels could potentially flood the planet. The Arches style venue adds an element of atmosphere to the play with the bare brick wall used as a barrier between the neighbours throughout the play.
Writer Emma Kelly focuses the play on female relationships. Mother and Daughter, Fran and Toni are left alone on the top floor of a high-rise tower block after friends and neighbors have deceased due to the rising water and resources such as electricity going off. While the water rose the pair gathered the resources they could and survived the best they could.
However, as the years pass Mother becomes ill and dies. She persuades Toni to leave her home, The Tower using their homemade rather primitive-looking raft to try and find other survivors and to make a new/different life for herself. One where she can find hope for the future.
Set to music, dance, and dialogue The Tower creates a world in which only the strong in mind and body can survive. The lessons of the past are in danger of being repeated, which questions the audience if life can change.
Many questions are raised throughout the play. Why and how it happened? Why would you have children when the future is so uncertain? When is the right time to let go of those you love and allow them to RIP? Kelly proposes these questions amongst others through The Tower with compassion and honesty. Delivering a thought-provoking image of a world under water and mankind on the brink of extinction.
The ultimate question remains as the lights fade. Do you think you could survive a climate change disaster such as this? What changes would you make to stop history from repeating itself?
The play reminded me of the 1995 film Waterworld starring Kevin Costner. Where he is fighting for survival in the open water against bandits while searching for land and the opportunity to start again and rebuild a new life. Twenty-nine years on and things still have a long way to go to action against climate change.
For more information about The Tower please visit the link below. The Fishing Museum is well worth a visit to.
Four Stars.
https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/the-tower/
Website – Emmakellydramatist.com
Instagram – @e.l.kelly_
LinkedIn – Emma Kelly Dramatist
Twitter – @EmmaKellyWriter