Review: A Dark Line Upstairs, ZOO Playground

Two stories run like twin rivers in this play by Matilde Vigna – the first, a non-linear and dreamlike account of the 1951 flood of the Polesine region in Italy which saw lives destroyed and villages wiped off the map, and the second, a decidedly personal tale of a woman in 2021 descended from survivors of that same flood packing up her old life before heading off into an uncertain future.

This play marks the writing debut of Vigna, already a highly celebrated actor, and she makes a mark in both fields as the sole performer of a gripping script, an almost omniscient narrator with hints of Fellini’s film masterpiece Amarcord for the flood narrative that evokes the ins and outs of lives washed away by a force they couldn’t hope to stop, only flee from. Then effortlessly Vigna becomes the relatable and burdened woman in the contemporary narrative. These are sharply different modes and Vigna proves her skill as a performer and writer in bringing both to life with genuine depth.

The telling of these stories are supported by light touches of expert stagecraft, including colourful costume from Lucia Menegazzo, absorbing sound design by Alessio Foglia that brings both worlds of the play’s distinct narratives to life, and seamless merging of that design at the able hands of Manuela Alabastro. It’s a testament to the efforts of the whole team that the bare ingredients of Vigna onstage with a potted plant and some boxes morphs into a tale that pulls you in and never lets go.

However, by the time the play has run its course, things remain a bit murky. Hints are given that the two stories might overlap, that the dual themes of loss may conclusively meet, but instead the stories remain firmly unconnected. Those in 1951 lost their homes, and even their lives, to forces of nature while our protagonist in 2021 experiences their losses through their own personal choices. Both narratives never feel fully resolved, with the survivors of 1951 simply doing their best to pick up the scattered pieces of their lives and the woman in 2021 left somewhere similar.

Neither good nor bad, this murkiness gives one much to wonder over long after the play is finished and as a meditation on these themes Vigna’s debut monologue is a powerful and touching piece.

Written and directed by Matilde Vigna
Sound Design by Alessio Foglia
Light Design by Alice Colla
Costume Design by Lucia Menegazzo
Sound Engineering: Manuela Alabastro

A Dark Line Upstairs has concluded its run at the Edinburgh Fringe.