A beautifully tender piece on belonging, loneliness, and finding your tribe.
In The Beauty of Being Herd, Gaulier graduate, Ruth Berkoff, holds a party for her character Hannah, the hero of this story. She’s decided that being a human is too exhausting and she’d rather be a sheep. This hour is her farewell to personhood.
Berkoff is an accomplished storyteller and sheep fact sharer. As the character Hannah, she tells tales of feeling left out in the office, getting confused at a sex party and talking too much, high on energy, after a rave. These explorations into feeling excluded or like you’ve somehow got things wrong without knowing the rules are painfully familiar. She asks the audience towards the end of the show if they’ve ever felt lonely or left out, and the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Who can blame her for giving up humanity in favour of becoming a sheep?
The familiarity of the feelings in this show are so stunningly portrayed, particularly in the second half. It’s poignant and really one of the most tender moments of audience connection this reviewer has ever seen. In the first half, the character is so ‘normal’ that it’s almost not clear whether this is a character or Berkoff herself. When she speaks out of character at the end, the same thing applies. This is a bit of a double-edged sword, because part of the beauty of Hannah as a character is that she is very ordinary, she could be any one of us. This helps the audience connect with her. But could things be made clearer or the characterisation ramped up more for distinction and pace? Possibly. Berkoff is an incredibly talented performer and absolutely up to the task.
The idea of the goodbye party could also be revisited a little more during the course of the show. After its initial introduction, it’s rarely mentioned. The rest of the show is dreamy, so time may be tight, but it’s worth squeezing it in to keep the audience up-to-speed. Berkoff generally does a good job of getting them on-side early, inviting several audience members to don a pair of sheep ears and join her herd. The sheer delight of a pensioner on the front row as he places the ears on his head is a wonderful sight to behold. It’s a special show that can speak to the inner child of those watching. This is the real magic here, where the human connection can be found. The audience adore Berkoff – she is one of us.
With a few tweaks, this exploration of feeling like an outsider and finding your sense of belonging will be a truly special show. Bravo to Berkoff for calling on her herd – we hear you loud and clear.
Reviewed on 25th May
