Review: TOTAL IMMEDIATE COLLECTIVE IMMINENT TERRESTRIAL SALVATION, Royal Court

In an inventive blend of text, illustration, live performance and audience awareness, Tim Crouch's new offering - that arrives straight from Edinburgh International Fringe - takes its followers to the end of the world, whilst also preparing them for the start of a new one.

The piece forces you to sit and pay attention. Together, the audience turn the pages of the book. They collectively study each of Rachana Jadhav's drawn images. The document is a glimpse into the future, one that is certain only because it is laid down in print.

In every situation like this, there is a leader, a follower, a mutineer, and an object of power. As the piece unfolds, things begin to become a little clearer. A woman enters and says that she is on her way to South America to save her daughter from a cult. Her child has been indoctrinated into the teachings of Miles, who is ultimately revealed to be Crouch himself.

Towards the end, the doomsday group leader appears to us like an ordinary human, dressed in usual attire and speaking with a calm manner. He acts like one of us, but it's clear he isn't. The power he exudes on stage is palpable and we comply with his instructions. Perhaps this means that we as audiences have also been indoctrinated.

We look to Miles, aka Crouch, to keep us safe in these turbulent times. Like usual, the playwright's work is formally adventurous, and seduces us in. This piece won't be for everyone, but it is undeniably inventive and for the most part, a deeply enriching experience.

Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation at Royal Court until 21 September

Photo: Eoin Carey

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