ALMOST BLUE. To 10 December.
London
ALMOST BLUE
by Christopher Dunkley from a novel by Carlo Lucarelli
Riverside Studios (Studio 3) To 11December 2005
Tue-Sat 8pm Sun 4pm
TICKETS: 020 8237 1111
Review: Timothy Ramsden 28 November
Exciting, physically action-packed and playing excitingly on the senses.
Most stage “thrillers” need carting off to the Trade Descriptions Act, as they rarely thrill. But this piece is an exception, perhaps because it’s about identity, something theatre explores extremely well. And because its plot is rooted in the senses, another of theatre’s strong points. A serial killer leaves no traces, taking on the last victim’s identity, something made literal in the casting.
The only clues are detected by blind, synaesthesic Declan; he perceives one sense in terms of another. When he describes a voice as almost blue he’s not being metaphoric. That’s how it is for him. His sophisticated listening-in system, built to stretch out his room-bound life, picks up messages from electronic devices all around, making him a vital police witness. The challenge arrives when he’s asked to leave his comfort-zone and help in the outside world.
Lu Kemp’s production keeps us in the half-dark as screens whiz about. Declan’s listening-posts contrast fast-moving action in London streets and murder rooms. Dominic Leclerc’s choreographed movement sequences create the crowds jostling Leeds detective Grace as she follows the trail to the metropolis, as well as the assignations that slowly melt into murders. Behind the screens truth emerges about the criminal’s early skin-work with a co-operative self-harmer.
Repeatedly, it’s lonely people’s desire for love and affection – emotional needs perceived and satisfied through the senses – that leads them into trouble. The killer himself can find no satisfying identity, always looking hungrily for a reality as he destroys.
And the plot climax is reached at the point policewoman Grace is taking a shower in the safe-house where she’s brought Declan. It’s at her moment of relaxation and bodily satisfaction that terror strikes, as water provides aural interference to Declan’s perception of his environment.
I couldn’t reveal more of the story’s culmination if I wanted; the elusive plot took leave of my own obtuse perceptions here. But throughout it’s perfectly matched to the theatrical style, throwing out questions about identity and an individual’s relation to their community. Performed with clarity, directed with verve, this is an exhilarating ride in a very fast theatrical machine.
Grace: Abigail Davies
Michael/Victor: Ben Duke
Simon: Declan Harvey
Paul: Eddie Kay
Marie/Rita: Imogen Knight
Sarrina/Charlie: Iain McKee
Voices: Annette Badland, Jamie Deeks, Elizabeth Hopley, Toby Longworth
Director: Lu Kemp
Designer: Lucy Osborne
Lighting: Andy Purves
Sound/Associate director: Gareth Fry
Choreographer/Associate director: Dominic Leclerc
Dramaturg: Helen Freshwater
2005-12-01 18:05:10