Review – The Blue Room
Venue: Urban Spaceman Vintage | Yelp
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David Hare is an exciting and big name in the world of theatre. A chance to see any of his plays shouldn’t be missed and 5Pound Theatre’s version of The Blue Room at this Fringe Festival is not flawless, but it’s fun.
Hare’s loose adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s 1900s play, Reigen (“round dance”), circumscribes the sexual liaisons of multiple characters played by two actors. Each vignette features one of five characters for each player in multivarious combinations punctuated by a sex scene of some kind. The two actors in this production unfortunately are somewhat at odds with one another, and I mean technically rather than personally. They don’t seem personally incongruous but in their delivery particularly, the contrast between the mumbling, fumbling Zak Zavod and the sharp (almost too correct) Kaitlyn Clare, is not always a happy one. The roles demand (in addition to a lot of nudity) various regional and foreign accents and here as elsewhere the young actress outclasses her opposite number. On opening night Zavod soon warmed up, however, and the humour of the play began to crackle. The direction is sharp, the informal space is intimate and lively: don’t miss it.
Are you someone who’s always been told that theatre is a powerful medium, but never really experienced it? Well, go watch 5Pound Theatre’s version of The Blue Room.
Ingeniously staged in a vintage apparel store, this rendition of David Hare’s adaptation of Reigen (a controversial 1900s play by Arthur Schnitzler), The Blue Room is intimate theatre at its literal best. Kaitlyn Clare’s seductive character sucks you in before the show even begins. While you’re waiting in line for the show, you see a scantily clad ‘prostitute’ in the shop window – a brave feat given that the venue is just off of Hindley street and could’ve easily attracted a different type of audience. The story takes you through ten scenes of sex, mostly deviant, but somehow (eerily) relatable. You follow the two actors, playing a total of ten characters, throughout the store as if you were shadowing them through various different locations – another clever ploy by director Jason Cavanagh, who should be commended for tackling an oft misinterpreted play.
While Zak Zavod is an excellent match to Clare’s brilliant performance, he does tend to wander his accents every once in a while. Regardless, Zavod’s many characters are genuinely executed and very believable. It’s every actor’s dream to be in a show like The Blue Room and both Clare and Zavod have made good use of this opportunity.
There is a lot of (required) nudity. So if you’re not someone who handles nudity too well, maybe don’t sit in the front row. Oh and this is not a great candidate for a ‘date night’, unless you’re using it to tell your partner about your secret and very promiscuous past.
