Review: Questioning The Control Of Our Lives, RESPLENDENCE Takes A Glimpse Into The Chaotic Mind Of One Man

Saturday 3rd December 2016, 10pm, Old Fitz Theatre, Woolloomooloo

Angus Cerini's one man play RESPLENDENCE challenges late night theatre goers at The Old Fitz to examine their control on their lives. Nathan Lovejoy directs James O'Connell in this intriguing work that draws on the audience's sympathy as they endeavour to make sense of the unnamed man's ramblings.

As with other Old Fitz late night shows, RESPLENDENCE utilises the set for the mainstage show, in this case the suspended pines of THE SHADOW BOX. A single wooden chair sits at the centre of the stage as the door is closed and the audience awaits a dishevelled, somewhat distressed man enters the space. Its unclear whether O'Connell is representing a recluse, an introvert that fears the world outside or if he's tormented by some other unseen being but his silent screams and drawing from the light entices the audience to want to discover what the man's challenge is.

With a blend of spoken word poetry, one sided dialogue, story telling, and rhetorical questions, Cerini's work holds a lamp up to human interaction and the absurdity of society. The story follows the man home to a meagre existence where he talks to himself and the furniture, reminiscent of Shirley Valentine. As O'Connell takes the audience on a journey following 24 hours of the man's life, the isolation, loneliness and pointlessness is gripping. Punctuated by Lovejoy's sound and lighting design that alters moods and changes perspective, O'Connell delivers a well paced performance filled with wonderful physicality and expression.

For anyone that has felt isolation or questioned their purpose, RESPLENDENCE holds a mirror up to those feelings of hopelessness in the quest to find that bright shiny life that we'd planned but never seem to be able to achieve. An intriguing and thought provoking short work that, like Cerini's other works, shines a spotlight on a sector of Australian society that would choose to ignore if possible.

RESPLENDENCE

29TH November - 10th December 2016

Old Fitz Theatre Woolloomooloo