Curious But Lost in the Looking Glass

By Kat Mokrynski

“Tonight you will make a choice. Am I watching you? Or are you watching me?”

What would you do if your home had a one-way mirror? A place for you to look out on the world with the world never knowing? Would you simply observe the lives of those passing by? Or would you become a part of their world? Jonathan Oldfield tackles these questions in his solo show, One Way Mirror, which ran at the Pleasance Theatre from 29 June to 1 July. The show is a true story, based on Oldfield’s time living in an old solicitor’s office that has a large one way mirror facing a high street. Oldfield tells the audience three different stories, leaving their endings open-ended, which comes into play later in the show. 

At the beginning of One Way Mirror, Oldfield asks the audience members to take two photos – One of him, and then a selfie. These are used later in the show to determine the paths of the three different stories, with the audience making the choice of whether Oldfield sticks to his pact of not interfering or goes out into the world and takes action based on what he has seen in his mirror. Something that immediately stands out to audiences is Oldfield’s improvisational talent and his passion for the stories that he is telling. While he has the tales he tells memorized, he is able to take small audience interactions and incorporate them into his show with ease. 

While the concept of an interactive show based on a mirror is interesting, it does not come without its struggles. One of the main issues was that the very mirror that Oldfield talks about, the one that is in the center of the stage, cannot be seen by the majority of the audience. Those who are not sitting directly in front of Oldfield simply see him standing behind a mirror, which is not as effective as watching the actor perform through a mirror. Another major issue was the interactivity that the show claimed to be based on. The audience only made 3 choices during the show, and even then, it was by the majority so not everyone had the chance to influence the story. The show would have been much more effective without depending on a singular audience member, instead letting a range of people decide on what Oldfield will do next in his stories. The ending was also quite bizarre, with an example of astral projection that failed to capture the attention of the audience and left them more confused than amused. 

Ultimately, One Way Mirror asks some interesting questions but struggles to form them into a cohesive narrative. Oldfield is a wonderful storyteller and has some fantastic comedic moments, but these qualities alone cannot hold up the story he is attempting to tell. With some work, One Way Mirror could become a truly powerful and hilarious work, forcing audiences to look into the mirror themselves and question what is true. 

One Way Mirror ran at the Pleasance Theatre in London from 29 June to 1 July 2023.