Looking for Giants | King's Head Theatre

In life, there are always those few people who may not have been in your path for a long time, but still leave ripples. Written and directed by Cesca Echlin and performed by Abby McCann, the one-woman show Looking For Giants uses a third-person point of view to tell the story of a girl and the three males who spark her interest. While the play does not have a complicated and exciting story, it is still very easy to follow and listen to in peace.

One is a stern and penetrating mentor, one is a match on a dating app who is so adept at teasing to the point of being rude, and one is a guy she had a crush on in school. One of the rare things that all three males have in common is that they have all passed through the narrator's life, and instead of leaving a lot of beauty behind, they have left her some wounds that are either deep or light.

The staging is simple. A high stool and a standing mike on the wooden floor are all the sets the play needs. Most of the time, the stage is lit with natural light, but as the mood of the main character changes, rhythmic and stirring music (Sarah Spencer) will suddenly start. The lights (Skylar Turnbull Hurd) turn to colours of pink, blue, and red, coming up from the ceiling or from underneath the actress, which naturally draws the audience into the plot and makes the story more appealing. With smoke floating in the air, there's almost a bit of a late-night pub daze kind of feeling.

Because of the size of the theatre space, the audience is close to the performer, and Abby McCann's intimate performance seems to bring that distance even nearer. Although for the entire 70 minutes, she is the only person depicting the story, it is never boring. When she speaks directly to the audience, she represents herself, and whenever she picks up the microphone, she becomes the three males mentioned in the story. She captures the men's habitual movements so accurately that you can tell exactly who she represents even without the use of microphone. But it does emphasise the presence of the three male characters very effectively. The entire play has a very intimate and comfortable feel to it.

Throughout the play, the audience has no way of knowing the name of the protagonist, as this is not that necessary in this story. In fact, in all three stories, the main character could be just one girl, or it could be three different girls, or perhaps most of the girls have all gone through similar things, which is why such a simple story can be empathetic. However, even so, there is still more to this work that could have been included and conveyed. Aside from the smooth storytelling and beautiful language, it has the potential to leave the audience with even more feelings.

Nevertheless, what this play is trying to convey is not elusive. You may have thought that this person would break your heart and leave you with numerous scars, but he is probably just a passer-by in your life. You'll meet more people afterwards that may break your heart or make you happy, but there's no need to stop here, no matter what.

Looking For Giants runs at King’s Head Theatre until 26th January 2025.

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by WoodForge Studios