What goes on behind closed doors

The revival of a Cold War-themed two-hander offers universal as well as political resonance

"It is a playpen for playing out our relationship. It has a personal resonance, but a wider political meaning," says ralf ralf's Jonathan Stone who, together with his brother, Barnaby, perform The Summit, which they created together during the Gorbachev-Reagan talks of the late Eighties. Talking in gobbledegook, the two men in suits negotiate in a naturalistic, then a Fawlty Towers way, building their performance from the physical and vocal cues that define the subtext of verbal communication. It gets quite heated with a lot of hand gestures.

The Summit has not been performed for three years. "We performed it such a lot before - mainly in the late Eighties and early Nineties - in 30 different countries - that it was in our bones. It's now just a question of remembering all the material. And buying a new suit. It is also very physical."

But if it was just a political satire, it would not have lasted 17 years. "It is also about what goes on behind closed doors," says Jonathan. "It is pertinent again with the Middle East dynamic. But it's hugely adaptable. We did the show in Hong Kong just before the handover and it was seen as political satire. Then we went to Bangkok where there was no political dynamic to attach it to. They just liked the music."

On stage, the brothers writhe, leap on tables to grunt their anger and disgust, dance, sing, and make sounds. "When we have absolutely reached loggerheads we turn into monsters. It breaks the ice, but there is no resolution. In some ways, the men are closer but there is an undercurrent of whether to trust that or not," says Barnaby. "But there are points of connection when they realise they are both puppets and figureheads of their countries, and teach each other, exchanging songs and dances," says Jonathan.

The brothers communicate during The Summit in invented languages. "It is based in sounds, rather than existing language. Mine is based on my tongue flapping around in my mouth," says Jonathan. "Barnaby just speaks his language. It's the S's and 'Drrr' sounds that make his. Some say his sounds like Greek or Mandarin. But, like the piece itself, it's open to many interpretations - and universal. It is about a summit - but some see it as how families behave."

The beauty of the show is that although the two brothers have fixed, choreographed material, they also improvise. "In the past, we have nearly corpsed. We have fallen out on stage, walked off and, luckily, come back on," says Barnaby. "It adds to the tension. Normally it's when one of us thinks it should be going one way, while the other wants it to go in another direction. But we have the core issue - the summit - to draw ourselves back to, while we actually negotiate between ourselves on stage."

'ralf ralf presents The Summit', Purcell Room, South Bank Centre, London, SE1 (020-7960 4242; www.rfh.org.uk) 19 and 20 Sept at 8pm, 21 Sept at 4pm