Stimulating and enjoyable
The Black Curtain
(2008)
Angel Exit Theatre
Udder Place (Brighton). 6-8 May 2008. 18:00
Following a series of recent bombings by the terrorist group ‘EOC’, hysteria has reached boiling point in the world of Intelligence Officers Frank and Harry, and their boss ‘Mr Valentine’ is thirsty for revenge, eagerly using the media to promote extreme preventative measures such planting tracking devices under the skin of arriving immigrants. But is everything as it seems in a “world that has changed”, where “nothing is black and white anymore”? Harry believes that “Valentine has a war brewing under his desk” and it’s only a matter of time before questions arise over who may be the true terrorists in this “reign of terror’. As the ‘detectives’ Frank and Harry become a kind of ‘counter intelligence’ force they quickly learn that such investigations can get you into a lot of trouble…
With obvious echoes of 9/11 conspiracy theories, this was a stimulating and enjoyable production from a company with adept and ingenious physical theatre skills. The set was minimal and used resourcefully, with smooth (if a little too many,) set changed which saw some moments of real ‘stage-magic’: bodies became mountain roads, tables phone booths and windows great works of art. In creating a paranoid landscape where even the walls have eyes and ears, imp-like figures in covert overcoats meddled like poltergeists and spied on the action, these invisible presences becoming the disorientating line between persecution and paranoia, conspiracy and delusion, suspicion and obsession. Some ingenious quirks to the set added together with an original electro-jazz score gave a strong filmic quality to the piece and the finesse of the actors complimented this style; often adopting an over-exaggerated, chaplin-esque abruptness to their movements, adding to the jittery mood of the thriller. However, this alienating choice of style, and the emotional superficiality of the characters, prevented the audience from connecting with the piece in any real way, a shame since, given its relevance to aspects of our society today, it could have held a certain gravity and poignancy. The ending was also physically cramped on stage and somewhat uneventful where it meant to be epic, with its final ‘twist’ feeling rather predictable.
The actors gave mostly solid performances, but were unfortunately let down by some technical aspects: the loud ventilation system in the Udder Place tent did a good job of obscuring the sound which wasn’t helped by the fact that the microphones seemed to have a talent for crackling or even cutting out completely at the most crucial moments, such as the telephone conversations which were key to understanding the finer points of the plot. However, this was an undeniably enjoyable and accomplished piece for which the company deserved a much larger audience than the 10 they played to.
[Alice Trueman]
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