| 19 August 2011
Patient H.M. is the most written-about case study in the history of neuroscience; in 2009, H.M.’s brain was dissected live on the internet to a global audience of over 400,000 people. What 2041 Objects beautifully brings to our attention is the story of the man behind the furor, Henry Molaison: how he lived his life, as well as the ordinary passions and pains that stirred him and ultimately led him to undergo a radical surgery that would leave him constantly trapped in the present.
With an accomplished cast and a set that is designed to perfection, one cannot think of a better way to communicate a life that itself was so extraordinary. Each assuming multiple roles, Sébastien Lawson, Pieter Lawman and Melody Grove bring this heartrending and cerebral tale to life. The subtlety and restraint in their performance communicates the 1950s context deftly and, far from diminishing the strength of feelings of the characters at hand, this method imbues the play with unaffected emotion and humanity.
One’s sense of compassion for Henry is great and at times crushing: thwarted by his severe epilepsy, his relationships do not extend outside of his familial home. The one attempt he makes with the beautiful girl-next-door Lauren ends with his having a seizure in front of her, shattering his confidence and everyone’s hopes that he will find love and meaning in his life. When his father announces at the table, “Well, let’s just sit here and quietly disappoint each other for the rest of our lives,” your heart breaks.
Desperation leads Henry to undergo a radial surgery that cures his epilepsy but leaves him with amnesia – both retrograde, which causes him to lose two years of memory leading up to the operation, and anterograde, which means that he can never again form new memories. This true story is remarkable and definitely not to be missed.
2041 Objects, Pleasance Courtyard, 3-28 (not 9, 16 or 23), 4.40pm
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