For those who haven’t had the pleasure of watching a silent movement drama, this beautiful piece of theatre will grab you by the scruff of the neck and leave you wanting more. The bond between father and son is deep and unbound, but how does it fare when the two are plunged into a pool of grief, unable to come up for air? Natalie Ibu brings a brutal and heart-wrenching piece to the Mercury Theatre with Tiata Fahodzi, an African theatre company focused on reflecting the lives of African people in contemporary Britain.

We are thrown into the shared imagination of father and son; a cartoon like world full of bad guys and super heroes. Then we watch their world being flung upside down as their wife and mother passes away and they are forced to become reliant on each other for support, company and silence. Solomon Israel portrays a father caught up in a web of grief. Fiercely battling through his loss silently and painfully, he attempts to be there for his son, who grows more withdrawn as time goes by. Samuel Nicholas was mesmerizing to watch as the son, grieving the death of his mother and the lost warmth of his father. Wrapped up in confusion, the young boy tries to reach out to his father, who at first appears to be in angered at the news as he stuffs the belongings of his late wife into a bin liner. The two grieve separately and silently, only brought together by the untimely answerphone message that leaves them both in shock as the mother’s voice fills the house. Words become harder to speak and they begin to drift apart. The pair are fluid and their performances are rhythmic and cyclical, causing the heavy themes of loss and grief to feel relentless at times, as such things are in life.

As spectators we are forced to buy into the story, commit to it and give everything we have to in order for it to work. This style of theatre may not be for everyone for that very reason, if you want to sit and be treated like royalty and have the work done for you this is not the show to see – prepare to put in work and go on an emotional odyssey of heart break, yearning and hope.

The silent plea of a son praying for his mother to comfort him was one I will not forget any time soon. This desperate plea for his mother’s return has no expense spared as he sacrifices the only worldly possessions one can expect a young boy to have. The realisation that his mother won’t walk through the door again is shattering, and Nicholas’ performance left me feeling broken and hopeless as he moped back into his bedroom, full of toys that no longer have any meaning. Meanwhile, the husband battles to sleep in the bed he shared with his wife. Israel’s performs a stunning sequence reflecting a restless night which is frustrating yet hypnotic to watch as he insists on finding a way to recreate her presence beside him.

The crack that is left in the family home is un-ignorable, both physically – the set is forced apart and the action takes place around the gap throughout – and emotionally. Father and son find a way to live around the void, and although they never fix it completely, they learn to work with what they have and focus on making it through the day together. I Know All the Secrets in my World is a truly powerful piece of theatre that drowns you in love and loneliness whilst somehow allowing you to leave feeling cleansed and grateful for those you have around you.

I Know All the secrets in my World played at the Mercury Theatre on 2 March 2016. For more information about the production, see www.mercurytheatre.co.uk