Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Last Rites
Ad Infinitum
Genre: Devised, Physical Theatre, Theatre
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A stunning visual epic of love and loss that transcends language. Multi award-winning collaborators Ad Infinitum (Beautiful Evil Things, Translunar Paradise) and Ramesh Meyyappan (Love Beyond) return to EdFringe. Arjun’s father never learnt sign language. Now he’s gone, Arjun must find his own way to honour him, but how do you say goodbye when words were never there? Ancient traditions meet modern reality in a journey from the UK to India, with electrifying storytelling, movement and sound. A boundary-breaking show for Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing audiences alike. HereAndNowShowcase.uk.
Review
What are rituals? Why do we have them? What do they fulfill?
Arjun lives in the UK and is told of the death of his father, so he sadly returns to India to complete the last rites of the oldest son to a father. This story is of the unexpected and it unfolds gently by the sole performer in his grief at his loss. Produced by Ad Infinitum, the well known multi-award-winning theatre company that creates imaginative, impactful, devised theatre, Last Rites is co-created by George Mann and Ramesh Meyyappan; Meyyappan is also the deviser and performer; directed by George Mann.
Meyyappan plays Arjun as he returns to his homeland with humanity laced with anger. He tells the story of growing up with his father in Sign language and creative movement. Captions appear on a large wall upstage. However, these Captions are different from the expected and suddenly they whoosh away animatedly or include images here and there instead of all words! Ever respectful as a grieving son, Arjun shares experiences he had with his father and seamlessly changes from non-verbal narrator to enacting situations as himself and his father. Meyyappan’s inspired physical movements clearly retell daily life in flashbacks enhanced by imagery and animated shapes by video and projection designer Christopher Harrison.
Sound effects such as wind and planes bring the different places Arjun takes us to life very well. After each flashback Arjun takes care of his father doing his duty but as a ritual privilege. There are funny and tender moments as well as sombre and moving situations. His father was well known for wearing glasses and Arjun tries them on in an amusing gesture. This is also where the abstract images on the wall come into their own and grow in imagination as the story develops with video designs . Arjun reminisces and ends up in quirky laughter with his father as they share jokes, like they used to do.
Underscored by a variety of short music pieces that are beautiful with uptempo modern Indian rhythmic instrumental music by sound designer and composer, Tayo Akinbode, the piece becomes more dynamic and Meyyappan is truly magnificent in his physical characterizations, Signing and gestural storytelling with clarity, flexible movement, an expressive face and a wonderfully compelling presence. What is unexpected is how dynamic this story becomes with all the theatrical and creative elements of lights, imagery, music, use of space and this outstanding performer working together to produce a truly imaginative visual story. This sixty-five minute piece of non-verbal theatre is accessible to Deaf and hearing audiences. In total, Last Rites is an inspired and inspiring piece of theatre.
