The Truth About Harry Beck, which is written and directed by Andy Burden, recounts the story of Harry Beck, the artist behind the London Underground Map (Diagram) and how he devoted his life to creating this iconic diagram. Instantly stating that liberal artistic license and fabrication of the true story occurs, Burden cleverly weaves truth and fiction together to create an engaging play.
The play follows Harry Beck through the thirty plus years (1931-1965) that he dedicated to creating the best version of the map. After being let go from a previous job, Beck meets his future wife Nora at choir, and begins to obsess over simplifying navigating the underground. Faced with many an obstacle and relentless rejections throughout his life, Beck's story is a simple but inspiring one that will strike a chord in the audience.
The play is deceptively simple, presenting itself as easy to follow, charming and engaging, whilst also packing an impressive amount of narrative and dramatic tension into it. Burden captures the audience's interest with a chatty opening from the married couple, keeping things rather plain, before diving straight into the complexities presented to the characters. It perhaps works a little too well, with the start of the play feeling slightly too easy-going, but regardless, it's interesting and fun to watch.
Simon Snashall as Harry Beck is a wonderful watch. Beck's sole focus on the diagram and absent-minded behaviour in other aspects of his life is conveyed well, as is his final resignation. Although the play's short runtime doesn't allow to linger on character's emotions, Snashall ensures that the depth of these emotions are efficiently depicted.
Ashley Christmas as Nora Beck (and numerous other characters) is delightful, taking both pride and joy in her portrayal of the many roles. She's warm and intelligent as Nora Beck, often inspiring her husband's greatest innovations. Christmas brings a lovely theatricality into the show, helping the emotional threads play out.
Speaking of threads, the play has used creative innovation to quite literally recreate Beck's earliest rendition of the Underground Diagram using ribbons from Nora's sewing basket. Using the respective colours, a beautiful visual physical representation is created. With the ribbons hung around furniture, even under front row audience member's feet, it's the most incredible moment of the show and feels special. Not only creating a wonderful moment of visual theatre, it also denotes how magical and alive the map felt to Harry.
The stage is small but quaint and cosy. Often set in the Beck's home, the furniture is stored to the side, making space for Beck's drawing desk that occupies half the stage. The staging (Sue Condie) not only helps audience members ground the play, but also depict's his priorities.
The show contains a few moments of audience participation, with a little Underground Tube trivia being thrown out into the audience, with Snashall creating tough interchanging predicaments for audience members to solve. It's not only amusing and entertaining, but renders a sense of connection with the many Londoners. The show's writing is a little muddled in places, with the play feeling meta and jovial, or deeply ironic and fast-paced, but this is hardly noticeable in the long run. Both methods of storytelling are effective and the cast have a good familiarity with both.
The Truth About Harry Beck is a small show but packed with big hope, love, determination and creativity, and leaves one feeling lighter, despite only being credited for his hard work posthumously. It is currently playing at the London Transport Museum until 10th November - for more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted Tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Tristram Kentom
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