The Knot

big bro and everyone else slayed.

This is a compelling play about what happens to a boy when parental absence and the ideology of war create a toxic masculine inner voice.
The acting was nuanced. The subject complex and thought provoking. And a shout out to some great costume design! Highly recommended.

An excellent new play performed by a young cast who believe in it, bringing thoughtful insights to tricky subject matter. The clock is ticking from the start. Sooner or later, the distant threat of an unspecified war will turn into actual violence right here, with added impact because the actors have such a good rapport and the audience is so close to them. The title character gives a masterclass in a certain type of acting even before his 'entry' - I'll say no more. The boyish-looking protagonist really inhabits his character: every facial twitch says something, from bravado through fear and incomprehension to guilty sensitivity. Some of the language is misogynistic but the play isn't: it shows (chillingly well) how easily such attitudes take hold when given an opening, how many inner demons are just waiting to be released. Arguably, the lone female character cones out strongest in the end.

A very intriguing monster is metaphor story, ‘The Knot’ poses some interesting notions about emotional and physical strength. It gets to the heart of that paradox, demonstrating how the submission to physical strength is often an emotional weakness and inversely how an emotional resolution through physical restraint could be construed as impotence

The story is bleak and emotionally demanding of both its cast and audience. The protagonist (Angus) expresses his torment through bouts of anger, despair and menace dynamically navigated by the lead actor who differentiates between these various states of distress with precision resulting in fierce impact

The Knot is authentically unsettling; an entity that instils depressive dread as much as it does alarm. But the performer’s characterisation of the imposing spectre elevates the creature beyond simply being a shallow threat. They infuse their behaviour with a dramatic frailty. It speaks in verbose lines of prose resident in ‘manospheric’ pseudo-intellectualism while simultaneously tearing back the verbosity and stooping to moments of crude misogyny

The supporting characters, all sympathetically portrayed and compelling to watch,
are woven into one another; connected by a loom of anxieties, largely externalised by the narrative’s ambiguous wartime paranoia. ‘The Knot’ moves with trembling dread that exceeds its quiet and focused 50 minutes. It invades your psyche, ensnaring you tight and pulling you down with the titular character’s ropes

Check it out for an ambitious hit of psychological horror

A very impressive production which held the attention of the audience from start to finish. It was well written and performed with skill and commitment by the cast. Credit also to those behind the scenes who used sound and lighting to great effect. 'The Knot' is well worth seeing!

I very much enjoyed this original play which, through the dark figure of The Knot conveys the conflicted emotions and struggles of a teenage boy dealing with the twin hardships of bullying and absent parents. Great acting from the young cast and creepy original costume for The Knot. Definitely worth a look!

How do you go from boy to man, especially during a war? Angus Ketch hears propaganda as old as time extolling the glory of sacrifice, and calling on men to protect their women. Despite being set in 1940s Britain, his inner struggles with misogyny, conveyed by the sinister ‘The Knot’, will be all too familiar to young people used to listening to the likes of Andrew Tate. The tensions this causes Angus is played out in his interactions with others, especially his sister.

Right from the start I adored the dialogue, starting with familiar teen sibling banter quickly becoming tense when love is masked by fear. Knowing he will likely be soon called to fight in the front line Angus tries to prepare himself by following the guidance of The Knot, but what are the consequences for his life now.

The play made me think what it must be like to be a 17-year-old boy in Ukraine or Russia now, knowing that conscription is imminent.

Congratulations to the writer for the stimulating dialogue, the technicians for use of sound, lighting and costume in this space and, all the young talented cast especially the actors who played the role of Angus, and The Knot. If you want your theatre to expand your insight and make you think, I highly recommend.

An excellent piece of theatre by a young cast who rise to the occasion and hold the audience in suspense and fear. The storyline is gripping, the costume of the Knot is inspired and threads of anger and violence run through this play building to its climax. The small cast of actors turn in some excellent performances worthy of a bigger stage. One to definitely catch. You won't be disappointed.

I thought this was an excellent production and thought provoking, outlining the complex insecurities a young man may have if he didn’t fit the perceived alpha male expectations of a young man in a war time situation! Having served as a female myself in the armed forces and deployed operationally, I did not once feel that misogyny was in play (mentioned in a previous review) as the fact is, that it is predominantly men that deploy to fight/defend and the majority of women would stay at home in important supportive roles and to care for children of the future. Also, it was his sister that was portrayed as the protector at the end of the show (no misogyny there). The actors/actress were excellent in the portrayal of their characters, the costumes/makeup were on point and the venue, being very intimate, perfect for this excellent play! Would highly recommend!

Just seen the opening performance. The story was well told with a superb acting range on display from the cast. Good use of staging and the cast conveyed emotion well. This is a must see.

This piece of theatre is confusing, poorly scripted and at times outright misogynistic. The lack of worldbuilding and exposition leaves the audience in a state of confusion from the outset. There is no explanation of the odd apparition that seems to be the entire premise of the piece. In one aspect is seems to be the protagonists inner demon however it suddenly becomes someone else’s demon adding to the confusion. The use of a retractable knife was concerning, despite not being used as intended and the fight scenes were of an inconsistent standard throughout.

The lighting design was simple and the vision was promising, however the execution was inconsistent. Use of the Shepard tone created an interesting foreboding sound design, however was let down by poor cueing. Overall the technical design was promising but was let down by a lack of refinement.

The protagonists acting was somewhat wooden to begin with, but grew into the role, perhaps opening night nerves. The ‘knot’ was up to a difficult task, with masked acting and an overly verbose script. Combined with being left alone on stage for extended periods, this performance fell flat.

Overall, this was a piece of regressive theatre, handling significant societal concerns in a clumsy and inconsiderate manner.