The Last Picture Review: A Canine Companion Leads a Journey from Horror to Hope
Can we ever truly learn from history? This profound question lies at the heart of Catherine Dyson's absorbing play, The Last Picture, currently receiving a full production at York Theatre Royal. Originally shared as a rehearsed reading in 2023 as part of the RSC's 37 Plays initiative, this innovative work constantly moves between past and present, testing the empathic capacities and limits of theatre as an art form.
An Immersive Theatrical Experience
There's a distinct touch of Tim Crouch to Dyson's writing style, which actively invites the audience into the imaginative act of bringing her words to life. Remarkably, this is a play about pictures in which not a single image is actually shown. Addressed directly in the second person, we are cast in dual roles: as audience members in a theatre and simultaneously as a class of year 9 students on a school trip to a Holocaust exhibition.
As the unseen photographic evidence of genocide is vividly described, the play forcefully flings us backwards into the very scenes captured by those photographs. We find ourselves placed in the position of those being led to their murders, as well as that of the neighbours who deliberately looked the other way. This creates a powerful, unsettling experience that challenges our understanding of history and human nature.
The Canine Guide Through Darkness
Our guide throughout this emotional journey is the excellent Robin Simpson portraying Sam, the students' emotional support dog. Radiating a comforting canine energy, Simpson talks us gently through the exhibition, periodically pausing to do headcounts and check how we're feeling emotionally. This unique narrative device provides both comfort and perspective as we navigate difficult historical terrain.
John R Wilkinson's absorbing production thrives on simplicity and carefully crafted space, allowing the storytelling and subtle shifts in lighting and sound to transport our imaginations. The production deliberately leaves gaps that expose where imagination and empathy inevitably fall short when confronting such profound historical trauma.
A Complex Take on History and Humanity
Though the play concludes on a note of hope, there's nothing neat or simplistic about The Last Picture's take on history or humanity. If these described images and our responses to them show us anything, it's that we remain capable of the full spectrum of human behavior: selflessness and brutality, compassion and indifference, kindness and atrocity alike.
The production continues at York Theatre Royal until 14 February before embarking on a tour, offering audiences across the country this thought-provoking theatrical experience that bridges generations and explores how we process historical trauma through contemporary lenses.
