The Pains and Pleasures of Confinement – Review of “Discord”, Theater am Gleis

By Ana Sobral

The premise of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord is rather simple: these three greats of world history (and letters) find themselves inexplicably locked in a room together in the afterlife. No explanation is offered for their confinement and the plot revolves around their attempts to solve that puzzle. The enigma is enhanced on stage by the extremely minimalistic set design: one door (locked), one white desk, three white chairs, black background. The somewhat claustrophobic setting leads to some moments of tension and desperation among the three characters – and humour for the audience. But Jefferson, Dickens and Tolstoy quickly grasp that the situation is not as random as it might appear at first. They have been locked up together for a reason, and it is their task to find out what their one common denominator is.

This is clearly a play of ideas. The characters spend much of their time on stage disagreeing about topics such as religion, reason, fantasy, writing and society at large. They get deep into discussions, each one vehemently trying to defend his own views, and inevitably clashing with the others. Much of the comic effect of the play comes from these debates, which are often interrupted by (near-)outbursts of violence. Jefferson complains about a migraine, Tolstoy threatens to beat up Dickens (whom he admittedly admires as a writer) in just about every scene, and Dickens bemoans the fact that he’s been locked up with such an unworthy audience of two. The characters are delightfully brought to life by the three actors, who turn the spartan setting into a hilarious boxing ring of ideas and attitudes. Each character’s distinct personality traits – and dissonances – shine out through the body language, voice and facial expressions. While all three actors are wonderful to watch, it is Dickens (played by Ciaran Corsar) who – as he did in real life – unquestionably dominates the stage, with his amusingly conceited opinions of himself and his works the bane of Jefferson’s and Tolstoy’s (non-)existence. It is a joy to watch this strange dance à trois. It is merely a happy side effect that we learn so much about the actual biographies of these men in the process.

The delightfully named White Rabbit Theater Company have done an excellent job here. This is a lively, entertaining and even enlightening play well worth checking out.

“Discord” is playing at Theater Am Gleis on October 11th and 12th. Check https://www.whiterabbittheatre.org/ for more details.