The Temptation of St Anthony

St Anthony went into the Eygptian desert to lead an ascetic life as a hermit and, in that time, he was persecuted by the devil and plagued by demons. That scene became an artistic motif, painted by Bosch and Dali, and written by Flaubert.

According to Bristol’s Mechanical Animal Corporation, we are all St Anthony now.

They bring together a group therapy session of five people from around the world, including a Swedish pyromaniac, an Eypgtian nomad and an English commuter-turned-wanderer – all claiming to be Anthony and all supposedly possessed.

It’s an unhelpful way to frame mental health issues: consciously remystifying the medical conditions by talking in terms of demonic possession. What’s worse is the way they portray those conditions. All five are bedraggled and backcombed. Their clothes are tatty and mudstained and they mutter to themselves, while fluttering their fingers. It’s like Bedlam according to Blackadder, and it’s entirely inappropriate – even in a production that aims for visceral impact over anything naturalistic.

In fairness, Tom Bailey’s production does achieve that throughout, using an array of world instruments and Grotowskian physicality. An international ensemble might just save it from accusations of cultural appropriation, but there’s definitely an exoticism at play – even if David Ridley’s choral compositions something clear the air with a simple, affecting beauty.

Even so, it’s largely impregnable and, in opting for obscurity over clear communication, it leaves itself open to misinterpretation. Utterly misguided. What possessed them?