It is not often that one sits down to watch a piece of theatre and in doing so, forgets that one is at the theatre at all; in Room, the audience is placed quite directly and uncomfortably in the psyches of five strangers who are trapped in a room with no door. An equally dreamlike and nightmarish world it is, for it is a world of no escape. For through Room, Pete Malicki (writer) and Alison Albany (director) have created a wholly engaging and intriguingly visceral, film-like piece, which jolts us out of the ordinary, and it is in this space that we are forced to face our most primal fears. Room combines innovation and imagination, while skillfully meshing an old idea with a very new conception of it. A minimalist set provides the tone for the horrifying and psychologically thrilling situation that intensifies, gathering an unsettling momentum as the piece goes on, while the fast pace and wit of the dialogue more than compensates for any shortcomings in production value. The acting - while lapsing in focus from time to time - is largely of a high standard and brings to the work a plausible realism and depth, as does the smooth transitions, aided by a simple yet effective lighting design.
Commendable effort by Malicki for his first-ever full-length production. Vivid, exploratory and very watchable.
Blender Productions with Chocalot Productions
Room
Written by Pete Malicki
Dates: 12 - 29 September, 2012
Venue: The Forum
Bookings: 2012.sydneyfringe.com
