The stars in an Artic sky. An out of control bush fire. Blake's tiger come in from the forest. All burning bright, and each one the starting point for a separate monologue, each on the theme of climate change and the negative impact humans are having on their planet.
Mo (Hannah Jarrett-Scott) is in a dinghy, looking at the stars, taking a brief respite from the eco-cruise ship she should have been running with her now dead partner. But her immediate worries must focus on a trapped whale, a hungry polar bear and a Trump supporting wannabe hunter.
Ash (Adam Buksh) is a boy from India who once had to fear the tiger at the door and the drought in the river, but now, in Scotland, it's racists and floods that are the problem.
Alex (Suzanne Magowan) is the on-the-scene TV reporter at a wild fire (maybe in Australia, maybe the US, it's never made clear), caught up in a danger that consumes all in it's path.
Set against a backwall of plastic detritus, the three performers' monologues intertwine, around one another, but never interlink. The performances are strong (Magowan is particularly impressive), fast paced, the direction excellent, and there's both humour and pathos in the script. But that lack of connection is an issue, giving us three separate performances with a common theme of climate change, and human stupidity, but no real connection. It feels more like three strands shoehorned together rather than a coherent whole, providing a sense of expectation that is never fulfilled. Which is a shame, because it's a worthy and important subject to tackle, but which could be far better presented. Enjoyable, but ultimately unsatisfying.
No comments:
Post a Comment