Review: HIDE AND SEEK, Park Theatre

Tobia Rossi's play Hide and Seek was first seen and developed in London last year at the VAULT festival, translated and directed by Carlotta Brenton. On my way to see it at the Park Theatre last night, I felt a strong sense of loss of this fringe festival and others which are key places for emerging artists to experiment.

This is a play which is sharply contemporary and yet completely universal, capturing themes and feelings most of us have dealt with when growing up and trying to fit in.

Hide and Seek is not an easy watch, although it starts off in a light vein, almost sweet, when one schoolboy, Mirko (Nico Cetrulo), is exploring a cave and finds the hideout of his missing classmate, Gio (Louis Scarpa). Despite being distant out in the real world, here they develop a friendship which grows and flourishes despite themselves.

Gio, who has been constantly bullied at school because of "that dirty thing in the woods" when he was six years old, has retreated from life with a ragbag of provisions and a determination not to return to the surface.

As Mirko continues to visit him, the dynamic changes between the boys, and an uneasy romance develops. There's always the spectre of social media likes and what others might think, but as long as they are alone in the dark, everything seems OK.

Rossi's play becomes shocking and darkly comic as it progresses, with some scenes that caused many audience members to recoil and cover their eyes. But it isn't all in this vein, as some moments between Mirko, who desperately wants to be included with the right gang at school, and Gio, who latches onto the first person he feels he can trust, are intense and positive.

In a world where people are generally cruel, and where homophobia is rife - in Italy, where this play is set, views are split and a current of bigotry remains - can Mirko and Gio ever really be together, in the sun, at school, in the open air?

Under Alex Forey's low lighting (fairy lights which change colour, and muted overhead spots) and Constance Comparot's set with cave mouth and raised rock platform, this performance space, with audience seating on three sides, has the feel of claustrophobia and dust you would find in a cave.

As Gio's TikTok gains views, and Mirko becomes caught in a web of deceit which keeps his new friend in the news while causing him to become isolated, their relationship shifts from the first exploratory kiss to an unexpected and savage resolution.

This is a play which requires attention and thought, and which will stay with you, whether you appreciate its tone and message, or feel it could respond more positively to the pressures on gay teenagers. In Scarpa's performance, we watch Gio grow from a nerdy, needy individual to a young man confident in himself, while in Cetrulo's, he veers from dominance to self-doubt and inner conflict.

Hide and Seek didn't have the emotional pull I expected, but it is a cleverly crafted play which has room to breathe across a 75 minute runtime.

Hide and Seek continues at the Park Theatre until 30 March in Park 90.

Photo credit: Mariano Gobbi

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