KINETICS

Corn Exchange, Dorchester

WHAT is it like to be 50 years of age and told that you have an incurable disease?

When actress Sue Wylie was faced with this challenge, she did what came naturally to her – she wrote a documentary drama about it and the premier performance of the play has succeeded in delivering a powerful message that everyone can relate to.

Surprisingly, instead of a dramatic interpretation full self pity and angst, Sue has given the play an unexpected punch that lifts it into a whole new realm of interest, namely the introduction into the scenario of a teenage boy who is addicted to free running or parkour.

The real-life friendship between Sue and the student is brought vividly to life as she learns to face her fears and adapt to a new future while the young Lukas, played by her 16 year old friend Laszlo di Corti, deals with his own dilemmas by taking huge leaps from buildings and jumping off the school roof.

The end result is a stimulating evening that begins with an impersonal video overlaid with a doctor’s voice relating the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease which soon moves to film of groups of young men taking huge risks as they run and jump from high buildings with balletic skill and bravery.

And just to prove the point, the young Laszlo performs some death defying acrobatics on stage as he tells Sue that free running gives him a sense of freedom, a message that has a powerful meaning to her as she learns to deal with her illness.

This is an amazing story that needs to be told and the company, supported by Dorchester Arts, hope that suitable fundraising will help to bring the play back to the town very soon. I can hardly wait.

MARION COX