4.5 hours of my life I cannot get back

After spending a large part of yesterday wishing I didn't have to go and see Robert Lepage's 4.5 hour play Lipsynch at the Northern Stage (mainly due to the running time), I actually ended up quite enjoying it. The use of sets and projection were really innovative and there were some truly funny moments. I especially liked one scene which took place on a tube train. The crew used moving platforms and lighting to give the appearance of pulling in and out of stations. It was very effective.

The play was split into 7 chapters, each featuring a different character. The billing made it clear that it was a work in progress. I felt that the final chapter was a bit ropey. It was also way too long. Who wants the sit for 4.5 hours in an evening? In fact we were there for about 6 hours because of the intervals and the start. By the end I was dropping off to sleep. Lepage intends the final version to be 9 hours long, which I think is just asking for people to loose interest. I would be happy to go and see three seperate plays of 3 hours each, but I don't think I've ever been happy to sit and do anything for 9 hours. I don't even sleep that long.

I do not think that it was a wasted evening of my life. Particularly since I managed to overcome second sock syndrome during the interval, by casting on for the toe of the second Wyvern sock. I did this thinking I would have to overcome my boredom by knitting through the performance, but I was never bored.

So, in short, it's worth going, but if you do go take a picnic tea and some strong coffee.