A production about finding meaning and identity which is rooted in philosophy but told through science fiction.Summary
Rating
Good
Untitled Space Play is a production about four (and arguably five) characters trying to figure out how to live authentic lives and find meaning in a universe which is irrational and seemingly meaningless. It makes sense, therefore, that it should involve an exploration of the two philosophic theories of absurdism and existentialism – just set in space. Confused? You soon will be.
The show is composed of two stories, both of which are set in a form of space. The first is a fantasy, taking place in the year Thirty Four Sigma Ninety-Nine and told in the spirit of past fictional intergalactic tales such as Star Trek or Galaxy Quest. Here, there is a war in place with the two sides attempting to find peace. But Captain Artemis (Dan Rhodes), Science Officer O’Connor (Immi Wignall), General Shannovar (Kimberly Ellis), Commander Hogarth (Patrick Briône) and The Ambassador of Xathoolian V (a fluffy green puppet) cannot seem to agree on anything except for finding excuses to threateningly point their ray guns at one another. Everything is exaggerated: the characters wear sparkly suspenders and their inflated egos are verbally expressed through American accents. The lighting uses a variety of colours, which add to the colourful nature of the characters.
The second tale is, however, set in a figurative form of space-like void. Within this realm there is no colourful lighting, the characters have no sparkly suspenders and they have no names, rather referring to one another by the numbers 1-5. Nor do they have American accents or ray guns. They still have inflated egos and bicker with each other like siblings about menial things, such as one person having a higher number than their comrade – but they don’t know where they are or how they got to the void.
The writing encapsulates a story within a story and has distinct philosophic undertones. A bit of harmless confusion from the audience is to be expected, in keeping with common expectations surrounding philosophy. However, the characters themselves are very confused about what is going on in either story. In spite of all the confusion, both stories are woven together in a way that makes sense and is very engaging. As the characters attempt to simultaneously figure out where they are and who they are they deliver some standout lines such as “Stop thinking about what we used to be and start thinking about what we want to be next” and “Kling-on to our sense of identity”.
Despite the differences in the two stories, director Harry Cowper makes it easy for the audience to distinguish between them, giving meaning through visual clues. In the fantasy world the characters are often spaced out from one another in an almost hierarchal, linear fashion. When Captain Artemis and General Shannovar argue they are placed far enough apart that they can display their ray guns in a threatening and exaggerated manner. In the figurative world, however, the characters are often huddled together in groups without any form of organisation.
Untitled Space Play is a lot of fun, despite possibly challenging philosophic nuances. The play is ultimately about finding meaning and identity in an existence which is confusing and hard to figure out, and through its use of witty storytelling sprinkled with humour this message is well-defined and comprehensible.
Written and Directed by Harry Cowper
Untitled Space Play plays at Bread and Roses Theatre until Saturday 12 April.
