At Eternitys Gate – The Hope Street Theatre, Liverpool

Writer: Joseph Winder

Director: Alex King

This captivating one-man show won’t just capture the hearts of Vincent Van Gogh fans, it’s a story for anyone who has loved and lost, and for those who have needed to be strong for too long.

At Eternity’s Gate follows Theo Van Gogh, the famous painter’s younger brother. Recounting Vincent’s life, Theo tells the story of how he, an art dealer, tried to help Vincent’s career and manage the artist’s tumultuous psyche. But helping Vincent’s mental state comes at the cost of his own.

Joseph Winder takes on the challenge of performing a one-man show exceptionally well. Demonstrating a candid and genuine emotional range, Winder paces the show frugally, not giving too much emotion too soon. Theo’s grief of losing his brother is sparingly told in a ‘two steps forward, one step back’ style of conversation with the audience. Each step forward gets closer and closer to the pain point for Theo, eventually causing him to break down.

It’s all smiles, nostalgia, and pleasantries in the first half of the play. But just when the character is starting to become ‘nice’ and a bit plain, Winder shows how grief can get ugly. Theo’s resentment at having to be ‘the strong sibling who does everything’ floods onto the stage. Winder showcases excellent range in becoming an unlikable version of Theo. But, refreshingly, a brutally honest one.

The impressive use of lighting in this play cannot be ignored. A flickering candlelight haze accents a memory Theo has of meeting his wife; blinking blue and silver lights feel like an ode to the Starry Night painting; and a scene with vivid bright colours shows the world as Van Gogh saw it. This clever use of lighting makes this show a black box theatre treasure trove.

With minor kinks in pacing, such as a blue light flashback theme which is left forgotten about for a little too long before it is reintroduced at the end, overall At Eternity’s Gate serves as a very impressive play for its scale. It shines a light on the forgotten parts of history and pays homage to the man who gave us Vincent Van Gogh as we know him today.

Runs until 13 June 2026