Review: INFINITY, VAULT Festival
Nessa Matthews compares the struggles of mental health to an astronaut floating in space. The metaphor she draws in her new solo play Infinity falls into place perfectly and engages the imagination in a colourful journey of healing and acceptance.
Matthews talks about isolation (both voluntary and unintentional) delicately, opening up in a piercing and personal prelude where she introduces herself and her work. Then, the crowd is invited to close their eyes and imagine darkness. The auditorium slips into pitch black and the real show starts.
After having built their trust, she drags her audience through the strife of an astronaut lost in space. The Earth is slowly dying and she's about to fall into a black hole. The delivery of the monologue is of technical and visual excellence. It's quietly spectacular in its use of light and sound to transport the theatre into a new dimension of despair and alienation.
As directed by Eoghan Carrick, Infinity's - and therefore Matthews' - gentle force is to be reckoned with. With Naomi Faughnan's set and costumes, Bill Woodland's lighting design, and Dylan Tonge-Jones curating the sound, the piece is a triumph on all levels.
From This Author - Cindy Marcolina
Italian export. Member of the Critics' Circle (Drama). Also a script reader and huge supporter of new work. Twitter: @Cindy_Marcolina
... (read more about this author)
Review: A MANCHESTER ANTHEM, VAULT FestivalFebruary 1, 2023
A snapshot of class divide that doubles as a melancholic love letter to the city.
Review: A SOCIETY (FOR THE CUTTING UP OF MEN), VAULT FestivalFebruary 1, 2023
It becomes more and more evident that we don’t need the traditional conventions displayed at the beginning. While these are probably meant as a visual juxtaposition against the minimalist, more blunt and hands-on approach of the climax, the start is unnecessary. It nearly drives the show to the ground before it’s even started.
Review: DEAD DAD SHOW, VAULT FestivalJanuary 30, 2023
Some shows are great even when everything goes wrong. Some shows shine through missed cues, nerves, line prompts, and failing tech. Some shows are simply excellent trainwrecks. Simon David’s Dead Dad Show is one of those. With a personality the size of a football stadium and the effortlessness of a consummate entertainer, he saves his own piece. It could have all gone so very wrong, but it didn’t.
Review: INTRUDER/INTRUZ, VAULT FestivalJanuary 30, 2023
Remi Rachuba moved to Glasgow from Poland in the late 90s to pursue his dreams and become an actor. A bright young man with stars in his eyes, he learns swear words at his teaching job in a special needs school. Mugged twice, he’s left severely traumatised. He constantly looks behind his shoulder for his “intruder”.
Review: BUTCHERED, VAULT FestivalJanuary 29, 2023
There are some shows that fit perfectly within the walls of The Vaults. Magic is made when old bricks and humidity meet the right production. Expial Atrocious’ Butchered is one of those that feel at home enveloped by the horrid architecture and the rumblings of Waterloo Station. The love child of Sweeney Todd and Hannibal, it’s a grim look at life and death in a dog-eat-dog world.
