Kyoto
22 April 2025
Soho Place
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Kyoto has had a very successful run at the Soho Place since early January, now in its last week until 3rd May. The play revolves around the efforts of oil industry lobbyist Don Pearlman to halt environmental protection measures throughout the 90s, following his lobbying work all the way to the Kyoto conference 1997, where he tried to prevent the creation and adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. Arguing against the scientific consensus on climate change, he worked with delegates of several countries with large oil industries, as well as creating his own NGO in The Climate Council, to guarantee himself a seat at the UN negotiations.
The play is staged in the round, with a large round stage that also functions as a panel table along the edges, with audience members sitting right up in the action. Every audience member is handed a convention badge upon entry, designating them as a member of the press or various organisations, while providing information on these organisations on the badges themselves. A great touch that really immerses the audience in the setting.
While the story is dramatised, it follows the true happenings quite closely, offering a glimpse into political proceedings through entertainment. Kyoto is extremely successful in presenting a relatively dry matter in a dynamic and energetic way that really grips the audience’s attention from beginning to end. There are a few large screens around the theatre walls to give extra information and show news footage from the time, but most of the play focuses on the debates of the climate change conferences and Pearlman’s efforts to disrupt and manipulate proceedings. Who knew that a lengthy debate on what a comma is while representatives shout over top of each other could be this entertaining!
The actual content of the play is stunningly strong, weaving an energetic review of Pearlman’s life and influence with a dynamic staging that effortlessly turns dry debate into riveting revelry.
