The Red Room
By Alanya Noquet
Monday 19th Septmber 2009
Monday 19th Septmber 2009
It is not at all common to see professional physical theatre in St.Andrews, therefore I was delighted to see that the David Hughes and Al Seed production of The Red Room was to be performed at the Byre. Advertised as a ‘visually shocking interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale The Masque of the Red Death’, I was intrigued to see what these two accomplished performers had in store for us.
Visually the piece certainly commanded the audience’s attention. The stage was eerily lit as we entered the auditorium into the world of the barricaded abbey-mansion, and a female courtier, dressed in white, came to life before our eyes like a wind-up doll, breaking down the our perception of time. Unfortunately after this, time largely stood still. Despite the often fast-paced and jerky movements of the cast, the play was greatly hindered by its refusal to development any coherent plot. Yes, the characters were expertly conveyed, the plush costumes introduced us to a jester, a nun, a fop and so on, but for anyone who knew nothing of Poe’s story, these figures seemed to move about the change without significance.
The nightmare sequence, in which one of the two women in the cast writhed on the floor, responding to a masked vision of the turmoil outside the abbey’s walls was a particular highlight; technically excellent and aesthetically impressive, however its relationship to the rest of the performance was unclear and thus its inclusion seemed arbitrary.
Perhaps my lack of knowledge on the subject of physical theatre impaired my enjoyment of The Red Room, however I feel that the similar reactions I encountered from my fellow audience members justifies my reaction to the play. “It was like a trailer at the cinema, there were flickers of excellence, but it never developed.” one student said. I would recommend this piece for the sheer exuberance of the performers, however if you like your theatre to have a story this is not the one for you.
Visually the piece certainly commanded the audience’s attention. The stage was eerily lit as we entered the auditorium into the world of the barricaded abbey-mansion, and a female courtier, dressed in white, came to life before our eyes like a wind-up doll, breaking down the our perception of time. Unfortunately after this, time largely stood still. Despite the often fast-paced and jerky movements of the cast, the play was greatly hindered by its refusal to development any coherent plot. Yes, the characters were expertly conveyed, the plush costumes introduced us to a jester, a nun, a fop and so on, but for anyone who knew nothing of Poe’s story, these figures seemed to move about the change without significance.
The nightmare sequence, in which one of the two women in the cast writhed on the floor, responding to a masked vision of the turmoil outside the abbey’s walls was a particular highlight; technically excellent and aesthetically impressive, however its relationship to the rest of the performance was unclear and thus its inclusion seemed arbitrary.
Perhaps my lack of knowledge on the subject of physical theatre impaired my enjoyment of The Red Room, however I feel that the similar reactions I encountered from my fellow audience members justifies my reaction to the play. “It was like a trailer at the cinema, there were flickers of excellence, but it never developed.” one student said. I would recommend this piece for the sheer exuberance of the performers, however if you like your theatre to have a story this is not the one for you.