Contemplative and quirky, those looking for a night of sophistication to boost their cultural credentials should head over to After Dark to see Wheatfield with Crows.

The evening is actually a two-for-one double bill, starting with Nuit D’Etoile, an operatic and visual art experience that pairs classical piano and two sopranos with Van Gogh paintings. Charis Postmus and Jessé Chester-Brown have magnificent voices and - accompanied by the enchanting piano of Lydia Lai - the performance is a privilege to hear and sets the melancholic mood perfectly for the following show.

Wheatfield with Crows is a distillation of the life of a very complex man into an hour, which could easily become oversimplified and shallow, but the story retains its depth by dipping in and out of some of the darkest moments of the painter’s life. This is a small slice of Vincent Van Gogh’s story, and the show benefits from not trying to cram too much in, instead lingering on the moments of pain and joy that inspired his art.

The cast includes Vincent himself, his brother Theo, and an ensemble of six who play the various other influences on Vincent’s life, both good and bad. The show is strong on movement of the ensemble supporting the speaking characters as they the set and bodily move the actors around the stage. This movement is quirky and fascinating, occasionally distracting from the story being told, but excellent for creating tension during the fraught scenes where Vincent is slowly encroached upon by twitching hands, like in the poster.

Lead actor Jacob Miles shine in these moments. The distraught ravings of a disturbed characters could easily lapse into histrionics, but Jacob plays Vincent’s pain with a subtlety that is all the more heartbreaking.

The cast and crew of Wheatfield with Crows are a young troupe full of potential, just spreading their theatrical wings, and their excellent show marks them as performers to watch out for.