Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
Camden Fringe
An intense and mind-bending piece of theatre that leaves you questioning reality and the very essence of existence.Summary
Rating
Excellent
SpaceEater, written and directed by Emma Kopf, isinspired by installations she saw at the Budapest Light Art Museum. Much like abstract art, this theatre piece has layers of meaning, some of which are brought by the audience experiencing it, because it is an experience.
Great live theatre is a mixture of what happens on stage, the audience and your own internal experience. They come together to create a theatrical moment. The cast of SpaceEater creates an intense atmosphere on an empty stage, the only prop being a telephone.
The spotlight falls on Corey Lee, the Astronaut, travelling on a ship he names SpaceEater, seemingly adrift heading towards the edge of space. It is unclear as to whether this was a solo mission, but he is the only human on board, yet he is not alone. The Astronaut states that mysterious human-like passengers have joined him. We meet Reverie (Gabrielle Crook) who the Astronaut has a strong bond with, the sensitive and seemingly innocent Athymy (Tyler Reuben) and the mother-like figure of Onism (Alice Bain). Each actor clearly embodies their roles and are striking in their all-white costumes.
Every conversation these characters have seems to be loaded with meaning, but nothing is obvious or clearly defined. It is a heady mixture of opposing philosophies related to Nihilism and Stoicism but ultimately esoteric, wrapped in sci-fi packaging. In many ways it reminded me of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Although the Astronaut has company there is a melancholy, a loneliness. He begins to question his very existence and his reason for being. The other mysterious passengers argue amongst themselves about the best course of action and then Hiareth, played by George Goddard, is called by the Astronaut. His appearance takes the play to a deeper level, he is an authority figure, someone to be feared, a taker of life. We discover there have been more otherworldly voyagers, but they have ceased to exist and have been forgotten.
In the end, I’m left with more questions than answers: How long have they been travelling? Where did the mysterious passengers come from? Were they actually projections of the Astronaut’s inner turmoil? Who was he speaking to on the telephone?
Kopf’s writing is dense and not easy to digest. The themes touched upon in SpaceEater are vast, much like space itself. The cast creates moments of light and shade with intense moments and touches of melodrama. The sound effects are at times disturbing and disorientating; a few cues are missed, which did distract attention, but only briefly.SpaceEater, is a powerful experience that I am still contemplating. It is full of intense performances which create a moody atmosphere but, like Nihilist thought, ultimately leaves us with questions on the meaningless of existence.
Written and directed by: Emma Kopf
Voice of SpaceEater: Lolly Taylor
Technical by: Harry Harris & Samuel Bell
SpaceEater has finished its run at The Courtyard Theatre as part of Camden Fringe.
You can read more about this show in our recent interview here.
