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Flood
Verdict : Intelligent metaphor for life
Edinburgh 06 - Smirnoff Baby Belly - 3-27 Aug 06 - 14:05 (0:55)
In a world of rain, a house fills slowly with water. Betty (Rachel Mason) and Noah (Rafe Beckley) rescue the minutiae of everyday life. His collection of inkwells is most precious to Noah. Her family photo albums are what Betty holds most dear. Upstairs the younger generation are more preoccupied with themselves and each other.
Henry (James Powell) is Yetta’s (Jessica Manley) boyfriend. She is his true love. Characters and age differences are well defined. In the cellar Betty finds photos of their long-lost son Leo (Antony Jardine). They decide to open another crate, and their world becomes a different reality. Out of the crate burst Leo and his mate Congo (David Stephenson). No love is lost between them. ‘A woman without a photo album is like a coffin without a lid.’ And in reply, ‘Leo always comes home in the worst kind of weather.’
Upstairs, the four young people tolerate each other. On the roof the rats, Point (Rafe Beckley) and Pearl (Rachel Mason) have a more realistic view of the whole situation. The doubling actors are convincingly rat-like. Downstairs pointless activity continues. Betty is making parasols. Yetta is changing music tracks and musing how she would like to be on a bed and ‘float into the woods.’
Leo tells of a circus act that convinces him an ice-age is coming. He and Congo put Henry ‘the hairdresser’ on to the roof – while Congo gets friendly with Yetta. They make no plans to escape the deluge.
And so it continues. The characters are insular, when they do interact it is only to further their own small lives or to bicker. The rats have the answers, the wonder of a rainbow and common sense. ‘Humans have lost the meaning of symbols’ and ‘will soon be getting back to normal – setting traps.’
When the rain stops, normal life returns. It is equally pointless and pathetic. There is no passion in the relationships and activity in the house. Congo and Leo escape to the arctic. Betty and Noah resume their comfortable existence. Yetta yearns for the rain’s and Congo’s return. Henry is turning into Noah.
The choice of venue is ideal. The Niddry Street caves have an unworldly quality. The simple set and subtle sound and lights convey the context perfectly. The acting and direction (by Allegra Galvin) are superb. The talented cast take full advantage of the powerful words of Günter Grass. In the real/unreal world he creates, they are totally believable. They inhabit a surreal place that says a lot about how humans live in normal and extreme situations. They apparently learn nothing in this intelligent metaphor for life.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Rafe Beckley – Noah/Point. Antony Jardine – Leo. Jessica Manley – Yetta. Rachel Mason – Betty/Pearl. James Powell – Henry. David Stephenson – Congo.
Company Credits: Allegra Galvin – Director. Rachel Bishop Sunter – Producer. Technical Operators – Felix Brown, Helga Edvinsen. Poster Design – Vanessa Whyte. Logo Design – Mark Dodwell. Photographer – Mike Hurdis. Writer – Günter Grass. Company – Modest Proposals Theatre. Website - www.modestproposals.fusiveweb.co.uk
END
(c) Peter Andrews 2006
reviewed 11 Aug 06 / Smirnoff Baby Belly
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2010
