In a thoughtful response to the horror of mass shootings, acclaimed Scottish playwright David Greig experiments with theatrical forms as he attempts to extract meaning from the carefully calculated yet deeply irrational violence that brings devastation to the lives of innocent people.
His key innovation comes from weaving the voice of a community choir into the fabric of the drama. On each night a different choir performs an eclectic assortment of songs and functions like the chorus in ancient Greek theatre by posing questions and commenting on the action of the play.
On opening night the Handel Quire rose to the occasion, beginning with an exquisite setting of the Priestly Blessing before moving into unfamiliar territory with an amusing bout of tribal chanting and a startling rendition of provocative lyrics from Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar.
The story centres on a lone gunman's murderous rampage unleashed on a village choir and "the events" are chillingly brought to life by a pastor who survived the massacre.
Tandi Wright's moving performance captures the feisty determination and fragile vulnerability of a liberal pastor who has abandoned her faith and seeks healing through a heady mixture of shamanism, psychology and political ideology.
Beulah Koale takes on a multiplicity of characters who seem to represent phantoms within the tortured mind of the pastor. His performance builds to a mesmerising climax as he articulates the gunman's incoherent mash-up of Viking mythology, video-game fantasies and right-wing politics.
The quest for meaning raises more questions than answers but the play ends with the massed voices of the choir eloquently affirming that the human need for social cohesion is more resilient than the impulse to destroy.
Theatre review
What: Silo Theatre's The Events
Where: Q Theatre, until September 26