For Two Foolish Productions (Chris Brannick and Karen Kirkup), one Camden Fringe show isn’t enough; they have two.
I Believe In One Bach follows 2nd violinist Alan Gottlieb, who, after four decades of playing at the back, finds himself coasting with ‘Papa Bach’ ringing in his ears.
Running at less than an hour, this play offers themes of contemplation and mortality, as Alan deals with his declining skill and the influence of three women (all played by Kirkup).
This two-hander, written by Brannick, has moments of comic brilliance alongside an almost manic evocation of religion and melody.
Utilising two pieces of scenery painted white and marked with crosses, I Believe In One Bach underlines the place of sacred music and celestial choirs as central to the piece.
As Alan’s mind fractures due to an unwanted (and to him, undeserved) appraisal, Bach starts to upend his life as the boy who sought out music and has been defined by nothing else for years.
This is a play of artistic obsession, of devotion, passion, and isolation. For Alan, whose violin is an extension of his own mediocrity, and in each of the female characters.
A fellow violinist of similar vintage joins in the jokes but chooses her own trajectory. A mentor betrayed by her own body and taking solace in vodka, offers the realism of an independent ear. And a manager of the orchestra parrots mental health soundbites but shows herself lacking.
Locations are conveyed with great skill, from a rehearsal hall to a church pew. Enough of the Bach piece in question, Mass in B Minor is heard to underlines both its purity and beauty, and Alan’s lost dreams of playing the best halls, out of “the shadow of the 1st violins”.
In Brannick’s committed performance, almost threatening at times to burst out of the confines of the Etcetera’s tiny stage, a character is created who retains our respect and pity.
I Believe In One Bach is a tightly paced play with many pleasing elements.
3.5 stars.
Although this play has now finished its run at Camden Fringe, its sister play Love Hurts continues until 5 Aug.