In the quaint and intimate setting of the studio of the York Theatre Royal, Lancastrian storyteller Dominic Kelly dazzled his audience with an intriguing performance of his monologue Crow.
Kelly’s one-hour storytelling drama traces the life and death of his grandfather, a beak-nosed man and devious trickster, who charmed and laboured his way from poverty to riches, through the medium of a crow, a creature which fascinates Kelly.
The minimalist staging of the production allows Kelly to encapsulate the drama and surrealism of the story, swinging from emotions of happiness and love, to greed and despair. The single stool and blank canvas of a background ensure that the audience’s focus revolves around the actions of Kelly, who effortlessly engages the spectators in the drama of his tale.
One of the integral features is the personification of the crow, creating a humanoid figure which interacts with the other characters. Comparatives of normal life can be drawn for many of the difficult situations, problems and hard decisions that the crow – which is essentially an extended metaphor of his grandfather – experiences.
The progression of the story sees the ageing of Kelly’s grandfather from an exuberant youngster to an elderly man in a hospital bed, as life rushes through his veins before slowly ebbing away. Kelly subtly adds drama through his characterisation, movement and facial expressions, which help to differentiate between the individuals of the story.
With a combination of light-hearted humour, raw emotion and dumbfounding mystery, the audience remains entranced throughout by Kelly, who deservedly received a warm round of applause at the close.