Rio Saki and other falling debris

If you knew the world was coming to an end, what would be your first response? Anger? Denial? Gin, then vodka, then more gin? In Rio Saki and other falling debris, playwright Shaun Charles mines the implications of this great ‘what if?’ to dramatic effect. As D-Day draws nearer and nearer, six characters – ably performed by a tight ATYP ensemble – start to transform, as the thought of death pushes them closer into their truest selves. When you’ve got nothing left to lose, why pretend to be anything else? How they move through their reactions is akin to the seven stages of grieving and the premise makes for a charged night of theatre.

In this stark, emptied-out world, a rock the size of Greenland is moving slowly towards earth, and when the play opens, all we have left is two weeks. Sirens never stop, and the stakes for every character and every relationship could not be higher. People don’t want anymore, they need, and they need badly. To love, to fight, to have sex, to take drugs in abundance. Oh no, this isn’t a piece for the faint-hearted, nor for anyone under 16 – but it is prime material for young audiences. Charles himself, now a seasoned playwright, wrote this play when he was just 22, and as a result, the motivations and behaviour of each character rings true.

In terms of design and characterisation, this is a clean, stripped-back production. The detail comes in how the characters physicalise their moods and respond to each other. Casting against type, director Fraser Corfield has drawn out some dynamic and strikingly believable performances from his young cast, comprising: Lucy Coleman, Elizabeth Gibney, Dashiell Hannoush, Kyle Hendrick, Kate Little and Anthony Slater.

But what sings about Rio Saki, what pulls you forward in your chair, is how it constantly surprises. You think you know these characters instantly, but as the impact of what is happening to them is revealed, you see their individual paradoxes come out to play. Time is running out. From love comes hate, from hate comes desire, from desire comes a complete change of heart. Each character is changeable, so the actors are able to take great leaps in where they go with their emotions, and how they experience their last few hours of breath.

ATYP has not disappointed with its latest production. With a strong foundation built through the writing and the direction, the actors are able to move about the stage with a freedom that is quite joyful to watch. If anything else, don’t miss the chance to hear a story about how, when doom really strikes, love and the human touch become an immense salvation. In a time when people seem to prefer ‘tweeting’ over speaking to one another face-to-face, this is a humbling message.

Rio Saki and other falling debris

Thursday, 2 September 2010