'The Lost Thing' at The Linbury Theatre

Earlier this week, I attended the opening night of ‘The Lost Thing’ at The Linbury Theatre in Covent Garden. This was my first time back at The Linbury after its re-design in 2018. Nestling underneath the majestic Royal Opera House, I have to say that this theatre is a real gem for London’s cultural arts scene. I loved all of the wood panelling, the seating design and just the general ambience. It’s definitely a few steps up from where it was previously and it was fitting to see a show such as ‘The Lost Thing’ make its debut in this fresh and vibrant setting. The performance is a co-creation between Candoco Dance Company and The Royal Opera, and takes its narrative from Shaun Tan’s illustrated book of the same name. I was interested to see how it would be interpreted through dance and music and it didn’t disappoint.

I hadn’t heard too much about Candoco before, other than that they were an inclusive dance company. As a production, there is much to like here. The lighting is emotive, the animation behind the stage is sleek, the costumes and sets were exceptionally effective and really supported the narrative in a clever way. Unfortunately I think the production is slightly let down by the music. The musicians and singers were extremely talented and displayed real flair but the melody of the music overall was unmemorable and the lyrics didn’t support the standard of the rest of the production. Considering that the whole performance is sung, like a modern opera, one would expect the music and lyrics to really shine, but it was a bit grating at times and some of the lyrics were too laboured. This was a shame because the singers were marvellous and it seemed a waste of their talent. Collin Shay in particular, the countertenor with an incredible high pitched choral-sounding voice, stood out for me [take out ‘for me’], as did Victoria Oruwari’s rich and melodic voice. These were seriously talented singers who warranted better material. Another niggle I had was that it was confusing to determine what kind of audience this production is for. It’s not quite right for children and families, it’s not quite right for dance and opera buffs and I don’t think it’s right for those seeking a special night out at the theatre. It’s an odd one. I think this performance will appeal to some but not to many, which is a shame, because I really enjoyed it and am passionate about highlighting inclusivity in the arts – something which this production really celebrates.

With all of this being said, I want to make it clear that I really enjoyed this performance. There is a lot in the narrative and this was well interpreted and it was very clear what was going on. It cleverly disseminates the story and it’s easy to follow, which I liked. I also thought that it was a clever book to turn into a theatre production. On the surface this is a story about taking better care of our environment and not forgetting about natural beauty. It encourages us to respect others and to show compassion for what doesn’t seem to fit into ‘normal’ surroundings. But this also seemed to resonate quite effectively with what Candoco are trying to achieve by creating an inclusive dance company. As the protagonist Shaun showed his determination to return The Lost Thing to its rightful place and to ensure it wouldn’t be marginalised from society, I found myself thinking about how maybe some of the performers have experienced something similar during their lives. As they come together in this performance, it’s clear they aren’t lost and that they are ready to storm the art world.

For those seeking a lightweight fun Christmas show, I don’t think this is it. But that isn’t to say you should skip this production altogether. At just an hour and a half (they could do with losing the interval) this is a show worth seeing. It’s clever, at times it pulls on the heart strings and it showcases some great talent. It’s an interesting story, set in a dystopian future, and it tackles some pretty relevant issues about the environment. In the current political climate, it might be easy to feel lost at times, but when watching ‘the Lost Thing’ it’s comforting to realise that everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from, has a place in society.

*All photos copyright Stephen Wright and the ROH

*Thanks to Hannah Last and Jolene Dyke