It’s a magic trick where understanding the trickery only makes the magic more real. The Hulu series told the true story of how a little girl ended up behind bars. Her story is tragic and terrible, but it is also sensational enough that Hulu turned it into an 8-episode show called The Act. We always know theatre isn’t “real” – by playfully acknowledging that, the emotional impact is actually heightened. Gypsy Rose Blanchard is a 30-year old woman who is serving a 10-year sentence for the second degree murder of her mother. An Oak Tree has a radical honesty which has made it hugely influential among younger generation. The actor is transformed before us we accept that they are now the father. At every performance, the father is played by an actor who’s never seen or read the play before they are given a script or fed lines by – yes – the hypnotist (played initially by Crouch himself, also acknowledging his “real” role as the playwright). The father truly believes his daughter has been transformed into oak tree. A stage hypnotist encounters the father of a girl he killed in a car accident. On this, Tim Crouch’s glitteringly clever play really delivers – while also being extremely moving. What makes a great play? A lot of critics, academics, and playwrights themselves will point to form matching content.
