★★★★★

"Last Rites is a triumph. A gorgeous display of humanity which cyclically warms and breaks your heart, this production is as real, raw and beautiful as it gets."

The Reviews Hub

★★★★

"...mime, dance, prayer, and sign coalesce into something truly captivating."

North West End

An ending. A beginning. A goodbye.

One man has twenty-four hours to perform his father’s funeral rites. This intimate, final ceremony brings to life a rich tapestry of shared memories and a complex relationship cut short by death. A powerful journey of love, loss, and what it means to be a parent.

Combining striking visual and physical storytelling with dynamic projection and a resonant soundtrack, internationally acclaimed theatre makers Ramesh Meyyappan and George Mann collaborate for the first time to create an epic non-verbal solo show.

Multi award-winning theatre company Ad Infinitum (Translunar Paradise ★★★★★ The Observer, Light ★★★★★ The Times) presents a bold new performance celebrating the transformative power of grief and ritual.

Last Rites is a non-verbal piece of theatre with no spoken words that is accessible to deaf, Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing audiences. The performance includes BSL with creative captions and a soundtrack with heavy use of bass so that it can be felt or heard by audience members.

Seating for this show is unallocated. All seats have good visibility for BSL and captions; for the best view, you may wish to sit towards the centre of the auditorium.

Fri 26 Jan: Post-Show discussion (in BSL, translated into spoken English)
Last Rites co-creator and performer Ramesh Meyyappan discusses his experience of making the show and the inspiration behind its creation with artist and theatre maker David Ellington. Scroll down to read Ramesh and David's full bios. 

A BSL video with captioning in English:

Video by David Ellington, music by Tayo Akinbode

Ramesh Meyyappan is a theatre maker who develops performances using an eclectic mix of visual and physical theatre styles. Something of a pioneer, Ramesh has continually explored visual styles that allow him to make work entirely accessible while raising awareness of deaf performers and directors. Over the years, his solo performances and collaborations have toured nationally and internationally to much critical acclaim.

David Ellington is a performer, artist and theatre maker. His roles have been diverse, including film, theatre, television drama, and presenting since 1997. David has always enjoyed creative works including TV and film making projects, and theatre workshop projects.

Last Rites is made possible through funding from Arts Council England and co-commissioned by London International Mime Festival and Derby Theatre.