Of Prophets & Purpose – The Actors’ Church, London

Of Prophets & Purpose is a refreshingly different sort of theatrical work. Staged in a church and combining William Blake’s mystical revelations with a Chicken Little adventure, you may find yourself wondering if you’re about to pass through the doors of perception and into… the arms of Rintrah?

Of Prophets & Purpose

What if someone said to you “There’s this new play, Waiting for Godot. It’s meant to be quite good. By some guy named Beckett. Shall we go?” How would you feel watching it, if you had no preconceived ideas about it, had never studied it in English or French class?  Or actually I can do you one better. What if Chicken Little (or Henny Penny if you prefer) had read William Blake’s influential work The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-93)? If these are the sorts of wonderings your brain is prone to, do I have a recommendation for you. Of Prophets and Purpose is a new work by Gary Cain, currently being performed at The Actors’ Church (St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden). A remarkable venue for a rather surprising work.  And the perfect place for the consideration of both the questions I’ve posed above.

It was the juxtaposition of inspirations which attracted me to this production in the first place. William Blake and Chicken Little.  I should have expected, really, that I was to see a work of great creativity rather than, perhaps, narrative clarity.  What I’m saying is: I frequently did not have the faintest clue what was going on. But I liked it.

I don’t even know how to describe the plot, but I’ll give you enough of an overview to set the scene.  There are two characters, Len (Ian MacNaughton) and Chuck (played by Cain), who are looking for a lost mouth harp when coins start to fall from the sky.  Additional characters Souxie (or Roxie? Played by Elizabeth Huskisson) and Johanna (Nia Kova) arrive later on.  There are questions of love and purpose.  A bit of singing.  Recitation of extracts from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Even some magic tricks. But in the end even a Deus ex Machina (Dan de la Motte) doesn’t resolve everything and bring the story to a neat conclusion.

If the Doors of Perception were Cleansed

If you see it, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about with my reference to Beckett. There was quite a lot of talk amongst the characters about the best way to discombobulate someone, and that’s largely how I felt. Making sense really isn’t the point here. Perhaps a greater knowledge of William Blake, Swedenborg and some of the other references would help. But once I realised full comprehension was beyond my grasp, I decided to relax and enjoy it. A good stratagem as it’s a strangely enjoyable, reference-rich and mystical sort of play. And Chicken Little never worried about understanding exactly why the sky was falling, anyway: Chicken Little just went with it.

The Actors’ Church, as I said, is a remarkable venue.  Designed by Inigo Jones for the Duke of Bedford and built in the 1630s, it actually predates Covent Garden’s West End and acting connections. For a church with a connection to actors, however, I found the acoustics terrible.  I had to concentrate to make out the lines, which was a bit of a distraction. Perhaps director Lil Warren might have been able to adapt it slightly to suit, have more lines addressed face on to the audience? She otherwise makes good use of the possibilities of the space. The architecture suits the play very well though, in its simple lines and religious symbolism. William Blake, as much as anyone can know what was going on in his mind, would likely approve. 

So I do recommend Of Prophets and Purpose.  If you’ve read this far then you can’t say I didn’t warn you that it’s a unique sort of production. My advice is to do as I did: embrace it and go along for the ride. The performances are energetic, the concept unique: I defy you to find anything else currently on in London that’s quite like it. And having now discovered The Actors’ Church (how I hadn’t noticed it before I don’t quite know), I will certainly be back for more events in future.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Of Prophets and Purpose on until 10 August 2024 only. More info and tickets here. Final advice: arrive early enough to grab a drink at the bar and check out the church and its gardens.