INTERIORS To 9 May.

London.

INTERIORS
by Vanishing Point.

Lyric Studio Hammersmith To 9 May 2009.
Mon-Sat 8pm.
Post-show Discussion 28 April.
Runs 1hr 20min No interval.

TICKETS: 0871 22 117 22.
www.lyric.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 24 April.

Memorable meditation on life and fate, both sombre and hilarious.
Based, like very little nowadays, on a play by Maurice Maeterlinck, Matthew Lenton’s vividly performed show from Scotland’s Vanishing Point starts with a case of “Donald, where’s your trousers?” Or, rather, Andrew – characters in this piece bear the actor’s own first name.

As the audience looks through the glass wall at a table neatly laid – dinner for eight’s in prospect – there’s the comic sight of Andrew, in underpants and gartered socks, and grand-daughter Sara hurriedly adjusting their appearances before the guests arrive.

There are five, reasons for their invites never spelled-out. There’s humour in observing the details of both unconscious mannerisms and self-conscious behaviour without the sound of voices, increased when a commentary begins predicting these people’s responses and providing the first insights into their secret thoughts.

A certain tension underlies the scene, beyond the contrast between social responses and actual feelings. This meal is an annual occasion (for all here? For some?). Held on the longest night it provides comfort at the year’s darkest moment. Outside, stars and globes shine, isolating the well-lit room in a colder vastness. Guests arrive with guns as a matter of course, taking them outside when they want a smoke. Cold and danger surround these people.

Unease grows inside too. There are seven characters, but eight chairs. When the moonlight-dressed commentator appears the situation becomes clear, and why this outsider sees into the others’ interiors.

The intrusion of death forms the major link with Maeterlinck as Elicia Daly’s calm commentary, distanced by amplification, examines the characters, making them seem even more people subject to a fate they do not comprehend. Like Brian Friel in Dancing with Lughnasa, Interiors casts a cold glow on its characters by revealing their futures before the ending.

There are other parallels here; a marriage proposal, fuelled by music and dance, is rejected, as in Dundee’s Sunshine on Leith. And the sombre mood descending after that moment recalls the atmosphere of Boilerhouse’s splendid Running Girl a few years back. Interiors is on a smaller-scale, but its individuality and strong impact make it a worthy companion to that other Scottish piece.

Cast: Elicia Daly, Sara Lazzaro, Myra McFadyen, Andrew Melville, Aurora Peres, Davide Pini Carenzi, Barnaby Power, Damir Todorovic.

Director: Matthew Lenton.
Designer/Lighting: Kai Fischer.
Sound/Music: Alasdair Macrae.
Projection/Video: Finn Ross for mesmer.
Costume: Eve Lambert.
Dramaturg: Pamela Carter.
Creative associate: Sandy Grierson.

2009-04-27 02:25:17