An Oak Tree – The Other Palace

The most unsettling performance I’ve ever seen.

Experimental theatre is often designed to challenge an audience, but An Oak Tree, currently playing at The Other Palace, takes that to an entirely different level. Written and performed by Tim Crouch, this is a production that left me genuinely unsettled, questioning what I had witnessed and, perhaps more importantly, what was real.

The premise involves a stage hypnotist who brings a volunteer onto the stage. I don’t particularly want to say much more about the plot, as almost everything risks becoming a spoiler, both for the audience and potentially for the famous actors taking on the role, who I’m sure all love to read my reviews!

What makes this production particularly unusual is that Crouch is joined by a different guest performer at each performance. They arrive without having read the script or rehearsed, discovering the production as it unfolds in front of an audience.

For my performance, that guest was Gwyneth Keyworth.

Now, while unpacking this, I should probably explain my understanding of what was happening. This might help, or I could be completely confused, but that’s almost part of the experience.
Keyworth, while referred to by her own name in part, is playing a volunteer who, in turn, takes on another character within the story. There are moments that appear to be ‘out of character’, but many of these are themselves scripted. Consequently, Keyworth might appear to step away from one character while actually performing another, more neutral version of herself.

Confused? You should try watching it!

Crouch has a curious speech pattern, somewhere between a therapist and a stage hypnotist. His delivery is measured, controlled and almost reassuring, yet there is something deeply unsettling about it. The calmness somehow makes the experience even more uncomfortable.

Throughout the performance, Keyworth receives instructions and lines that we, as an audience, are not always privy to. Some are delivered through a microphone directly into a headset, leaving us completely unaware of what has been said.
And this is where the production really began to trouble me.
I couldn’t determine whether something Crouch had said had elicited a genuine response from Keyworth or whether she was simply performing exactly as instructed. Even knowing that she was a professional actor didn’t make that distinction any easier.

The metatheatrical nature of the piece does little to ease this tension. In fact, it arguably makes it worse. At times, Crouch speaks on Keyworth’s behalf, supplies her with lines or directs her actions. There is something deeply uncomfortable about watching a performer seemingly have their voice and, by extension, their agency taken away.
Of course, Keyworth has agreed to participate in the production, but the theatrical presentation deliberately blurs the boundaries of control and consent. It is genuinely unsettling.

I should stress that, despite the delicate subject matter, nothing untoward or unnecessarily triggering was presented or even alluded to during the performance I attended. My discomfort came almost entirely from the theatrical construction itself, rather than anything explicitly depicted.

Even the technical elements contribute to this strange atmosphere. Much of the sound and microphone operation is controlled from a small pad on stage, reinforcing the impression of Crouch’s character as a one-man stage hypnotist act. The mechanics of the production are visible, yet somehow this transparency makes the experience feel even more manipulative.

Meanwhile, my imagination was working overtime.
Partly, I was trying to understand the significance of the oak tree itself, the play’s namesake, but I was also constantly preparing myself for whatever twist might be coming next. Was this based on a true story? Was there some elaborate hypnosis trick? Would the characters suddenly swap places?
There is a small chance that I have a tendency to overthink storylines, but this production practically encourages it.

At different points, Crouch deliberately speaks lines on behalf of his fellow performer. At others, Keyworth reads directly from a script on a clipboard or appears to be given greater freedom to respond. These constantly shifting dynamics make it almost impossible to settle into the conventional relationship between performer and audience.

And that, I suspect, is precisely the point.

Co-directed by Crouch, Karl James and Andy Smith, with music by Peter Gill, An Oak Tree is a fascinating experiment in theatrical storytelling. It explores the relationship between performer, character and audience while challenging our expectations of what a theatrical performance should look like.

It is also a remarkable undertaking for the guest actors, who must trust their instincts and respond to an unfamiliar piece of theatre in real time. Keyworth approached this challenge with an impressive openness and vulnerability, creating moments that felt extraordinarily spontaneous, even when I couldn’t be certain whether they were.

The rotating cast adds another fascinating dimension. Upcoming guest performers include Rosalie Craig, Olivia Williams, Clare Perkins, Tom Mothersdale, Gemma Whelan, Bessie Carter, Juliet Stevenson, Tanya Reynolds, Brian Gleeson, Reece Shearsmith and Suranne Jones, among many others. With each performer bringing their own instincts, personality and interpretation to the stage, no two performances can ever be quite the same.

This also creates a rather unusual reason to return. Ordinarily, seeing a production twice offers the opportunity to appreciate details you might have missed the first time. Here, a second visit could fundamentally alter your experience of the piece.

Produced by Francesca Moody Productions, An Oak Tree forms part of their season at The Other Palace, with multi-buy discounts available for audiences booking across the season. Given the constantly changing guest cast, I suspect plenty of theatregoers will be tempted to return.

As for me, I’m awarding this production five stars, although I feel I should explain what that means in this particular instance.
Usually, when I give a production five stars, it’s because I have enjoyed it so much that I could happily return night after night. An Oak Tree is different.
I don’t think I could go back tomorrow.

Not because it wasn’t exceptional, but because I genuinely need some time to unwind and process what I’ve experienced.
It is experimental theatre that succeeds in eliciting powerful emotions, challenging the audience and leaving questions that linger long after the performance has ended.

Whether I fully understood everything I witnessed is another matter entirely.

But perhaps understanding isn’t the point.

Five stars for a production that I admired enormously, even if I’m not quite ready to experience it again.

*****