Fringe Review: AS FAR AS WE KNOW, Main Hall at Summerhall

Photo credit: Mihaela Bodlovic

“It is going to be okay”, writer and performer Sam Ward tells us as we sit opposite his desk onstage in the Main Hall, Summerhall. He reiterates this in the quiet before opening a desk drawer, removing a file of paper, and plunging into a story. As Far As We Know is a story mostly about a woman, but also about what we do and don’t know and how we try to make sense of the world.

You see, the thing is, the woman wants answers. She wants answers to the strange holes that are humming in her garden that have been appearing lately. And the audience are invited to join her on her pursuit. Through immersive storytelling, Ward takes us on the whirlwind journey of the woman as she searches for the reason why. He is sitting down, takes to the microphone and some sort of onslaught begins. Ward is utterly compelling, the audience are his from the start, the comic timing is impeccable, and every inch of his words are inhaled ready for the next.

The set consists of only the desk, a lamp and the files - it lets Ward’s narration take up the entire space of the venue accompanied by an eerie, racing soundscape and pulsing lighting. The words, the light and the sound. It’s quite simple really. But Ward’s words draw you into a whole world, a peculiar world, right into this woman’s day. It is a marvel to behold, as the blank set transforms and your imagination, with Ward’s wit, builds the show around you. 

But, like everything YESYESNONO make, it is not all it first appears to be. Combining multimedia and projections with the narrative entrances the audience. A mesmeric performance, Ward is enchanting as his role of narrator; business-like but thoroughly entertaining about the whole affair - almost whimsical. 

As Far As We Know is a feat of theatre. It is a unique, sharp piece, intelligently written and performed that will stay with you a while after watching. Sparkling in its humour, the performance is as alluring as it is unnerving. Remarkable, As Far As We Know deserves your undivided attention.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Hannah Goldswain

As Far As We Know plays at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 31 August, with further info here.