Review: Land of Lost Content, Arcola Theatre
Powerful spoken word theatre from playwright Henry Madd explores the highs and lows of small-town adolescence and the nuances of the friendships we make in these formative and turbulent years.
The premise of Henry Madd’s debut play, The Land of Lost Content, will be familiar to anyone who grew up in a small town. Reuniting in the local pub over cheap pints and surrounded by the perennial characters of their teenage years still propping up the bar, we meet Henry, who’s moved away and tried to move on from rural Dulowl, and his best friend Jake.
The two have known each other since secondary school and have the easy intimacy of long-term friends. However, as the play unfolds the audience becomes increasingly aware of the underlying gulf between them. Throughout their evening at The Flat Earth Inn, the two recount familiar stories of underage drinking, games of spin the bottle and sneaking out into the woods after dark. At the heart of these stories is the town of Dulowl, at once the enabler of their teenage antics and the parameters of a life that seems to have been pre-determined.
Henry describes his relationship with Dulowl as feeling as though he has a piece of elastic tied around his heart that keeps drawing him back. It is this tension that drives Madd’s script, which yearns for the easy nostalgia of returning to where you grew up, whilst being forced to confront the complex relationships you’ve left behind.
This heady mixture of emotions is captured brilliantly in Madd’s lyrical spoken word theatre. The two friends move easily from moments of laugh out loud comedy to heartbreaking tragedy. His writing is well-crafted and deeply evocative, infusing everything from memories of unreliable bus timetables to painful stories of substance abuse with a rich but accessible poetry.
The play is a two-hander, with Madd himself playing Henry alongside an excellent counterpoint in Marc Benga’s Jake. The pair bounce off each other with the believable ease of old friends, and between them handle a diverse cast of small-town characters. We see the challenges of rural life played out in front of us in all its forms, from clueless headteachers to teenage boys in the throes of a mental health crisis with no one to turn to.
The Land of Lost Content is an important piece of theatre: tender and unapologetic, funny yet deeply moving. It gives a voice to people that are often outside of mainstream media, addressing complex but resonant themes of teenage friendship, mental health, and platonic and romantic love.
In the fragments of conversations that pass between Henry and Jake, Madd captures the nuances of friendships that come out of a shared childhood, spanning formative years and many different stages of life. Running at just over an hour, we don’t even make it to last orders at the Flat Earth Inn – but this is a piece of art that will stay with you long after closing time.
The Land of Lost Content is on at the Arcola Theatre 27 February – 2 March, before embarking on a UK tour. Find out more here.
Words by Ellen Hodgetts
The award-winning neo-jazz artist Ni Maxine from Liverpool performed in London this month with a live show, ‘Ode To Billie Holiday’, at Pizza Express Holborn on Friday 26 April 2024, all part of series of live shows through the UK…
Hayward Gallery unveils exciting series of free exhibitions with RC Foundation, Taiwan (R.O.C.), debuting multidisciplinary artist Naomi Rincón Gallardo's work in June…
Among our passions for art and exploring bakeries, we also cherish London's green spaces. From vast areas like the Walthamstow Wetlands to hidden gems like Phoenix Gardens and Mount Street Gardens. Here are our top choices of 13 green spaces to fully embrace London's summer in 2024…
Robert Rauschenberg ROCI · Andrew Omoding: Animals to Remember Uganda · Jane Emburey: all things are full of gods · Younès Ben Slimane: Images de Tunisie · Lindokuhle Sobekwa: Heart of the garden · Matthew Krishanu: The Bough Breaks · Accordion Fields · SKATEBOARD · Darren Almond: Life Line · Richard Kimathi: Heaven is Dry.
Clerkenwell Design Week 2024 • London Craft Week 2024 • Battersea Power Station x Claire Luxton • Twelfth Night (or What You Will) • Chelsea Barracks x House & Garden Spring Fair • IWA Canalway Cavalcade • Gerhard Richter: STRIP-TOWER • Lift 109 Lates: Skyline Sketching • RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 • Chelsea in Bloom 2024 • REVERB by The Vinyl Factory • War Child x Art on a Postcard…
Renowned artist Gerhard Richter's monumental sculpture, STRIP-TOWER (2023) unveiled at Serpentine South…
Southbank Centre's summer programme celebrates diversity and inclusivity with 'You Belong Here' campaign.
Gagosian's second Gagosian Open presentation, showcasing Nan Goldin's 'Sisters, Saints, Sibyls,' will open in May in the historic setting of a former Welsh Chapel situated in Soho.
Women’s stories and solidarity. Feminism and Activism. Photography.
The Untold and Untrue Story has arrived in London for a three-week run at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. Let me start by saying it is the best and silliest kind of fun and the most I’ve laughed in such a short space of time.
Ceramic Art London · The Last Caravaggio · Sony World Photography Awards · Sofia Laskari: Body and Flesh · Yulia Iosilzon: Modus Operandi · Alexandra Zarins: Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves · Lucienne O'Mara: Through the Grid · Mafalda von Hessen: Looking In · Allan Gardner: Foreverisms · San Marco by John Robertson…
As the Venice Art Biennale kicks off (20 April - 24 November 2024). Discover our pick of art exhibitions to see in Venice during the Biennale…
Explore wholesome flavours and community spirit at London’s latest trattoria in Earl’s Court.
‘London is a Forest,’ created by Acrylicize, a visionary design studio, is a giant steel, permanent public artwork that seamlessly blends art, nature, and technology redefining the visual landscape of the neighbourhood.
Discover our pick of the best hotels in Stockholm, Sweden for your next trip. From Ett Hem to NFO Hotel…
NOFO Hotel, situated in the lively neighborhood of SoFo in Stockholm's Södermalm district, is often likened to London’s Soho for its vibrant atmosphere. The hotel draws inspiration from art and leisure, offering guests a comfortable and stylish escape. Its convenient location makes it an ideal base for exploring the charming surroundings of Stockholm.
The Natural History Museum is adding a tasty twist to its lineup with the introduction of a brand-new afternoon tea experience…
Taipei-based IT entrepreneur Elsa Wang is the founder of Bluerider ART, a progressive gallery at the intersection of art and technology.
Kidd Pivot is a dance theatre company founded by Canadian choreographer and artistic director Crystal Pite. Ahead of the UK premiere of its latest show, Assembly Hall, opening at Sadler’s Wells next week, we sat down with one of the ensemble’s performers, Renée Sigouin….
New York City Ballet · NewsRevue · Casserole · Politics of the Imagination: Anselm McDonnell · New Soundz: Jason Singh & Sarathy Korwar · Field of Difference · Some May Work as Symbols: Art Made in Brazil, 1950s–70s · Acts of Resistance: Photography, Feminisms and the Art of Protest · Barbara Kruger: Silent Writings · David Bowie – A London Day · move/003 · WappART celebrates International Women’s Day · Society of the Snow · Bobby Baker: An Edible Family in a Mobile Home · WOLFOX Savoy Court · Motherdough · War Child’s Secret 7 · Art On a Postcard
Wish You Weren’t Here, a Theatre Centre and Sheffield Theatres collaboration written by Katie Redford has been created in conversation with hundreds of young people across the country…
AVA London 2024 takes over London with an exciting multi-day format, featuring top industry figures and cutting-edge music acts…
The production comes from the Aslant Theatre Company, an international female-led collective producing new work and imaginative adaptations. Despite Two Rounds having only three nights at the Jermyn Street Theatre we do hope this wonderfully amusing play will get another run…
Collect Art Fair will return to Somerset House this February ,and we had the pleasure of exploring the studios of three artists who will be showcasing their work at Collect 2024…
The Charcoal Heads is a sequence of large-scale drawings and oil paintings tethered to a formative period of Frank Auerbach’s career. On display for the first time as a comprehensive collection at The Courtauld Gallery…
Appropriately after Valentine’s Day we are sitting above a stage carpeted with 8000 carnations to see NELKEN by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch + Terrain Boris Charmatz performing on a stage at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre. This seminal piece debuted in 1982 and hasn’t been seen here since 2005. It returns now with a new generation of dancers and under its new artistic director of 18 months, Boris Charmatz….
Tucked away above a pub in a leafy corner of Highgate Village, Upstairs at the Gatehouse is a hidden gem of a theatre – and it’s latest offering, Songs for a New World, is the perfect production for this intimate venue…
Museum of Home · The Courtauld Shop · House of Voltaire at Studio Voltaire · Design Museum Shop · Saatchi Gallery Store · Royal Academy of Arts Shop · Dulwich Picture Gallery Shop · Soane Museum Shop · V&A Shop · London Transport Museum Shop · William Morris Gallery Shop · ICA Bookstore…