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A collision of production design, failed audience participation, and literal and metaphorical contemplation on causality made for 50 minutes of organised chaos in The Well (Redux), at La Mama, Carlton.
Kate Brennan, Director, and Robert Reid, Co-Director, and the 11 member ensemble presented a committed performance of a tale which oscillates around the collision between The Angel of the New and the earth Montezuma. Like the dramatic moment when they impact upon the stage, the play jolts the audience from one place in time to another without a second for collective breath – the ensemble drives this run-away play and the audience need only but to hold tight. At times we, the audience, are encouraged to participate in the sound and movement of the narrative but the ambient chaos paired with the hot, stuffy night render us too startled to engage and respond.
The allied efforts of Tom Wolf, Lisa De Silva, and Bec Neeson – through sound, lighting and stage respectively – wield dominating powers. At times the courthouse is plunged into moments of complete darkness, extremes of cacophony, and fleeting seconds of stifling quiet followed by monologues of sometimes inaudible speech, lit by hand-held torches. Magnifying this assault on the senses is the production’s intentional illusory use of time, which is but a tool for fuelling the confusion of the characters and the audience alike.
If, as the Director’s notes suggest, devised and organic moments simultaneously occur throughout the production, then they are mostly well executed. It really is hard to distinguish the spontaneous from the controlled in this production, and I get the feeling this is exactly the directors’ intentions. This is clearly a production that captures the imagination of the performers. Selling out at last year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival, there is a tangible energy and enthusiasm for remounting this collaboration among the Monash University Student Theatre actors, so much so that you get the sense running in-jokes are possibly making the experience more enjoyable for the company than the audience. But, if you embrace the unexpected and if you find hectic, super-sensory theatre digestible, you’ll love The Well (Redux). If not, best look elsewhere for your evening entertainment.
2 ½ stars
When: Wednesday, 27 November – Sunday, 8 December
Where: La Mama Courthouse Theatre, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton 3053
How much: $15 – $25
