Kyoto
"Countries who are at war are agreeing. About the weather."
So says Don Pearlman, portrayed by the forceful and charismatic Stephen Kunken. Don Pearlman is an oil lobbyist and lawyer, best known for blocking climate change action in the 90's. He is also the narrator in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Kyoto.
Don guides the audience through the many climate change conferences and geopolitical tensions in the 90's. Speech after speech. Scientific report after scientific report. How is any of this theatre? And yet, playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson transform the driest data into a riveting two-and-a-half-hour production. Unexpected and incisive one-liners suddenly distill the most sterile of information into a tender moment of humanity.
The actors are all exceptional, and credit must be given to Julia Horan CDG, whose perceptive casting is perhaps the most underrated secret sauce of this superb show. Each character, named after the countries they represent, are simultaneously representative of real-world ambassadors and symbolic of larger communities beyond cultural and geographical boundaries.
A chill fills the room as the ambassador from the tiny island of Kiribati (Andrea Gatchalian) takes on a global superpower with a savage speech. Young and savage, Gatchalian's ambassador represents the voice of a generation born into a climate emergency that previous generations have brought upon them. Older ambassadors from developing China (Kwong Loke) and Tanzania (Aïcha Kossoko) play catchup in world politics dominated by USA––the progressive leader of the free world, a woman (Nancy Crane)––and UK––the classic white man (Ferdy Roberts).
Directors Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin utilise not just their powerful ensemble of members, but also the audience in capturing the urgency required to protect the planet. Although never playing any direct part in the action, the audience bear passive witness to diplomatic scuffles and are privy to secret negotiations. One simply has to be there to understand what a tremendous production this is.
Video Designer Akhila Krishnan presents any contextual information on a large LED screen that overlooks set designer Miriam Buether's extravagant conference room floor. Composer Paul Englishby lays the emotion on thick, subverted by moments of silence before it gets corny.
Despite charging ahead at breakneck speed to deliver an unending stream of information, the production is clear, energetic, engaging and never loses sight of its mission. No matter what opinion one has on climate change, in an evening, Kyoto successfully gets everyone on the same page in recognising its discernible effect on humankind.
This show was reviewed on the 17th January 2025 at @sohoplace, London where it runs until the 3rd May 2025. Tickets available here: Kyoto | West End Theatre | @sohoplace
Review written by Penny Bao
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Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
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