Review – The Lake

Joseph (Brad Williams) and Karl (Matt Crook) are two lost souls at the edge of existence, scratching out a living in a dystopian wasteland and collecting weapons against the prisoner that they guard (Patrick Frost). We are taken into the desperation of life in their refuge as they try to stave off infection and starvation, and wait out a fog that never seems to lift. But, curiously, the phone won’t stop ringing, and we learn of outsiders who want them to execute their captive. But in the process of performing that grim duty their prisoner, the one they call the monster, manages to escape.

Billed as a dark comedy, Ben Brooker‘s The Lake has the feel of a post-apocalyptic Cormac McCathy horror novel. That is, this isn’t a plot-heavy story; most of the play is in the atmosphere, which is impressively tactile thanks to some clever stage design, lighting and sound work. The crew obviously put a lot of energy into turning The Arch into a believably dirty hovel, cleverly furnishing the open stage with filth and detritus in order to transform it into an almost claustrophobic setting.

The performances were also suitably well crafted: Williams and Crook play their characters with all the melodrama of two people who have been in each other’s company for far too long, and Frost is delightfully hammy. I can happily report that I was completely involved in the action from start to finish; unfortunately, though, I didn’t leave the venue feeling like I had very much to chew on. Certainly there was something very Freudian being played with – the three characters can easily be read as representations of the id, ego and superego, and there’s lot of hysteria and neurosis surrounding the topics of hands and feet.

I thought perhaps the fog outside might be the fog of an induced coma; certainly there’s lots of talk of hospitals. Is The Lake a play about psychological horrors being confronted and (hopefully) vanquished? I would have appreciated a few more clues. Like a black forest cake, I like my theatre to be dark, substantial and satisfying, and The Lake is just a little too elusive for my tastes.