Review: the hour we knew nothing of each other

The hour we knew nothing of each other by Peter Handke at The National Theatre

Director: James MacDonald

There were 27 actors in the hour we knew nothing of each other playing 450 characters. A remarkable feat in itself, but what had really inflamed my curiosity was that this play, written by a “great experimental figure of European theatre” Peter Handke, is completely without dialogue. Set in a generic city square, that could be really anywhere in the world, a parade of characters cross the stage, none saying anything and only ever connected by proximity. A brilliant piece to watch, especially for physical theatre and character development. This show will take you through a range of emotions. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I applauded. I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entire show. There were only two elements that I could have done with out. One was a character, a man in a yellow vest that seemingly commented on everything he or others did while he was on stage. I don ‘t know if that had to do with bad casting, direction or if that was called for in the script, but I felt that he was treating the audience as stupid, as if we needed to have the show explained to us. And two, was a random break from the realistic physicality of the play into a random moment where suddenly a woman walked down a stair created from all the players. So random and odd that I wish I could ask the director what that was all about.
At the beginning I was slightly hesitant, thinking “An hour and forty-five minutes with no dialogue?!” but time passed so quickly that it was a surprise when the show ended! Although somehow the show never really did end because the moment you step out of the theatre and walk down the street, you look at strangers in a completely different way. A fantastic study in physicality, body language, human connections and nature, as well as a great exercise in imagination, I loved this show.