Words: Kiera Harper
Image: Andrew Perry
5 Stars
Sanctuary, a debut play by Jacob Sparrow, is a beautiful exploration of loneliness, memory and community.
Inspired by real events, Sanctuary follows Michael in conversations with an older gay man as he waits to hear the results of a small village in Suffolk’s decision to open an AIDs hospice in the early 1990s.
Throughout, we hear Michael’s story of how he came to the village after his HIV diagnosis to die, which is something he’s still waiting for. The audience feels his anger, despair and joy woven through the entire play. This is thanks to the brilliant acting from Matthew Tennyson, who portrays Michael with immense humanity and balances the line between being a young man with life to live and the weight that comes with your community falling like conkers. His story is told to an older man, who, through Richard Cant’s incredible acting, the audience can feel how much this man relates to Michael, how he sees himself in him and knows his loneliness innately.
This play emphasises that diagnosis and loneliness are not the end of a life; it’s a reason to do all of the things you’ve always wanted to do. Through characters like Michael, Wendy and Mary, alongside a soundtrack ranging from Dexys Midnight Runners to the Pointer Sisters, the audience is reminded that this story is not just a story; it’s a reality that happened not long ago, something that many audience members would’ve been and still are impacted by. Something that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Sanctuary is a reminder that community can be built from anywhere, especially in the hardest times. This is an emotional, thought-provoking play which shows the light and the dark, the dancing with the anger and grief, and you won’t want to miss it.
Sanctuary
Ace Dome at Pleasance Dome
16:00
5th – 31st August (no performances on the 17th)