Plymouth Theatre Review

Title: ‘The Fall Of Morningstar And The Rise Of Evil

Venue: The House Main Stage

Date: 31st May 2024

Overall Rating: 5

Mayfest’s ‘Best of the Fest’ and ‘Directors Cut’ award winning show ‘The Fall Of Morningstar And The Rise Of Evil’, written, directed and performed by the vastly talented Liam Åkeson Reyner, is a bewitching tour de force that reimagines the epic and timeless tale of Lucifer’s fall from grace and his eventual descent into hell. Drawing on inspiration from John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ Åkeson Rayner has meticulously crafted a deeply moving and visually exquisite one man show that depicts the complexities of Lucifer’s character during his last moments in heaven, painting a soul stirring and sublime portrait of his transformation from Morningstar to the embodiment of evil. This breathtakingly beautiful performance is a victorious feat of storytelling, physicality and emotion, that enamoured and enthralled the audience from start to finish. 

Åkeson Rayner’s colossal performance as Morningstar is dedicated, authentic and evocative. His emotive physicality guides the spectator through a tumultuous range of emotions, from initial pride and grace, to subsequent rebellion, anger and despair. The physicality is a standout highlight, with Åkeson Rayner’s body serving as the primary vessel for both expression and storytelling. Each movement, gesture and posture is imbued with meaning and emotion, expertly conveying the internal and external struggles of the character with raw intensity and finesse. The performance is a true manifestation of the power of dedicated and disciplined movement based storytelling. Åkeson Rayner’s ability to truly embody the character of Lucifer and his journey through physicality is remarkable to behold, demonstrating his unparalleled skill as a physical performer. The audience, although a spectator to the action, is not just a passive observer but drawn into the landscape of the piece, experiencing his pain, rage and resignation in a deeply personal way. Lucifer is presented as a complicated and meaningful character who is brought to life through the artist’s exceptional talent, commitment to the piece and thorough understanding of the complex emotions embedded in this story and character. I especiallyenjoyed the ferocity of the movement scene representing Lucifer’s battle and the juxtaposition between the fast paced and frenziedmovements with the slow motion employed at key moments before his fall.  The fall was represented with grace and elegance allowing an interval of pause for both the character and the audience to revel in the finality of this occasion. 

The sound and light design play a vital role in the impact and success of this performance, serving to enchant the emotional depth and atmosphere of the piece. The production uses a carefully crafted blend of natural soundscapes and music to convey the varying and ever changing temperament of Lucifer. At the start, the sound has a spiritual quality, setting a serene scene with ethereal tones that mirrors Lucifer’s initial purity, poise and standing. As the story progresses, the soundscape and music changes to become more intense and discordant to reflect Lucifer’s growing resentment with powerful tracks by ‘Florence and the Machine’ and ‘M83’ heightening the atmosphere and tension. A particularly impactful moment within the sound design is the natural sound effects infused with music on Lucifer’s journey down to earth, where he sees this new world with his own eyes  and starts to feelthe resentment and disgust rise within him. This soundscape features naturalistic sounds of the elements, nature, babies and animals, to create a sort of primordial soup of life on earth. Chimes are used to signify the presence and voice of God and when combined with the spotlight to signify God’s light, this gives the performance a divine and otherworldly layer, representing the character of God perfectly, without the need of a secondary body or physical presence on stage. 

The lighting design is equally masterful, using a rich and varied palette of colours to symbolise different aspects of the characters journey and the emotions experienced by Lucifer. Blue hues are used to represent the divine, tranquil state at the start of the show and Green hues are employed to signify Earth. Red and Purple lights capture the anger, repulsion, and rage felt in the latter parts of the piece. One particularly impressive and impactful element of the lighting design was at the very start as the audience entered the space. The blue lighting, mixed with smoke to create a fog effect, revealed Lucifer curled up on the stage with the light pulsating in and out to create a heartbeat like effect, the area getting brighter and dimmer with each beat. This created a beautiful and visually stunning tableau, primordial and ethereal in appearance. Spotlights were also employed throughout to signify both God’s light and Lucifer’s power, a Blue spotlight was used to create a haunting and striking visual effect for Lucifer and a bright, blinding light was used to represent God. The juxtaposition between these two colourscreated  an arresting visual effect and was a thoughtful way to present the power and presence of these two otherworldly beings, displaying the differences in their power and emotion. 

While the stage is kept deliberately sparse and uncluttered to allow the story to unfold in a corporeal and dynamic way, the strategic use of key props added a depth and sophistication. Two bowls, a white box and a scythe were present at the front of the stage and these formed the only props used within the performance. In a dazzling display of artisanship, leaves were scattered onto the stage from above, creating a stunning and awe inspiring visual effect on Lucifer’s visit to Earth. While simple in execution, the effect of the leaves was spellbinding and added an additional layer of beauty and symbolism to the piece, allowing the audience to comprehend the setting and location as well as symbolising the splendourand fragility of creation itself. The bowls were used towards the end of the performance to smear ‘blood’ on Lucifer’s body when his wings were eventually ripped from him, in a scene that saw part of the costume torn from the body. This haunting and distressing scene was awash with the colour red, a symbol for both the loss of Lucifer’s wings and the anger and resentment felt towards God in the narrative journey. It gave the stage a dramatic and toxic feel, symbolising both the physical and metaphysical pain felt by Lucifer. The scythe was used in battle towards the conclusion becoming another vessel for the pain and wrathand giving Lucifer a means of which to express his dissatisfaction and indignation. This mixed with the ferocious and frantic physicality gave an added layer of danger to the movement and enhanced the overall impact of the scene. 

Åkeson Rayner’s writing and direction in ‘The Fall of Morningstar and the Rise of Evil’ is nothing short of outstanding. Too often in physical pieces of theatre the writing serves as somewhat of an afterthought, but that was certainly not the case here. The writing offered a nuanced twist to a well known character, garnering thoughts of sympathy and forcing the audience to consider the hurt, pain and confusion felt by Lucifer. By delving deep into the complexities of his character and the complexities of the fall itself, Åkeson Rayner presents a fresh and inspired perspective that feels authentic and resonates with anyone who has ever felt betrayed by a loved one. The challenge to see this notorious character in a new light, barely felt like a challenge at all, and the complex and alternating emotions felt by Lucifer were felt by all. Far from despising the character, the audience felt endeared to him and the writing injected understanding into his character and forced the audience to see him in a new light. As a director, he demonstrated an incredible ability to bring out the emotional depth and humanity of Lucifer. For a character often seen as pure evil, his portrayal often allowed for a more empathetic and multi-dimensional understanding of his journey. The performance starts with a tender and graceful presence, a light voice and soft heart but ends with an intense, menacing and hellish presence that doesn’t fail to intimidate. The pacing, staging and overall vision of the production are executed with rigour and creativity.

‘The Fall of Morningstar and the Rise of Evil’ is a mesmerising, and unforgettable experience that showcases Åkeson Rayner’s exceptional talent and dedication to his work. This performance was a feast for the eyes from start to finish, utterly captivating in a show of pure artistry that combines exceptional tangibility and movement based storytelling, emotive and evocative soundscapes and masterful use of colour and lighting to create a vastly touching and emotionally resonate piece of theatre. The authentic, ponderous and fresh portrayal of this infamous character, coupled with his innovative direction and artistic vision ensures that this production will leave a lasting impact on all who have the pleasure of seeing it. A true highlight of Mayfest, ‘The Fall of Morningstar and the Rise of Evil’ is a magnum opus of creative expression that delivers an electrifying journey into the depths of the human and divine struggle, bringing a novel perspective to this timeless story from the dawn time. Åkeson Rayner is thoroughly deserving of the accolades he has received in the wake of this dazzling performance and we look forward to seeing where his creative journey takes him next.