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HOME & Unlimited Theatre co-production in collaboration with
RashDash present:
Future Bodies
Newcastle Northern Stage
Until Thursday 18th October 2018
Unlimited Theatre return to Northern Stage with another cracker. We
wouldn’t expect anything else. Their shows have been thought provoking whether
they were family shows like Mission To
Mars, a game show concept MONEY
The Gameshow or mind boggling drama such as The
Noise. Add in a touch of RashDash and we have a very deep, yet accessible
show.
This is another show which combines scientific ideas with a devastating twist
of ethics. What is the relationship that we have with our brains? Would we want
to upgrade our personal capacity? Should we build in features such as sat nav or
mobile phones? Would you want a company adding chips to your brain and sending
you upgrades? Will these upgrades be any more successful than the ones on our
laptops?
Then we can push the concept further: What if our children could have a
distinct advantage if we approve their upgrades? What if our employer had
access to our internal voice? If we uploaded our brain to a different
substrate, will we be considered to be alive even if our physical body is dead?
This is a big set of questions that are not that far from needing to be
answered soon. Funnily enough, as I left the theatre I witnessed a number of
students milling around outside all wired up to their phones – perhaps this is
the next logical step?
Arriving in Stage 2, the set is imposing in the performance space. The
frame was reminiscent of Mission To Mars.
In the window of the frame was a plastic curtain, like the type you see on a
cold store. This would be used as both a backdrop and a projection screen as the
dialogue and song lyrics were projected on the set. On the left was a musical
performance stage on which Becky White would deliver live dressed in futuristic
blue (remember Hazel O’Connor in the final big stage scene in Breaking Glass?)
The sound design can be described as loud as it filled the room with
either music or sound effects. Lighting picked off the action around the set
which eventually revealed itself to be a box with a soil filled floor.
This is very much an ensemble piece. The cast of 6 engaging in a series
of skits to describe both the technology and the ethics behind it. From the parent
refusing to have their children fitted through to the employee questioning the
lack of privacy that such a fitting would make. They are thoroughly engaging
and they quickly draw you in to this world without giving a value judgement –
that is something that they leave to the audience. To the cast’s credit: it is easy to follow
the constantly changing foci as the action moves from one pair of actors to
another group.
This is very much a thought-provoking piece that had my brain working
overtime as I drove home. It was also an entertaining show as you relate to
each event on stage. As someone who enjoys the ability to switch off I couldn’t
imagine anything worse than being hooked up to the grid. The openness of the
presentation enables the audience to make up their own mind – so the rest of
the audience may disagree with me.
Having said that, I’m not sure what was happening on the final 15
minutes. I don’t mind admitting I was lost there!
I look forward to seeing what Unlimited and RashDash come up with next.
Review by Stephen Oliver
Cast and Creatives:
Co-created by Clare Duffy, Abbi Greenland, Helen Goalen, Jon Spooner and
Becky Wilkie
Script by Clare Duffy and Abbi Greenland
Original songs and music by Becky Wilkie
Performed by Deshaye Gayle, Alison Halstead, Kate Maravan, Lara Steward,
Yusra Warsarma and Becky Wilkie
Directed by Helen Goalen and Abbi Greenland
Set and Costume design by Rhys Jarman
Lighting & Video Design by Josh Pharo and Sarah Readman
Sound Design by Becky Wilkie and Joel Clements
Stage Managed by Alyssa Watts, Alice Winter and Amy Chandler
Photos: Jonathan Keenan
Tickets:
FUTURE BODIES -
TUE 16 – THU 18 OCT 7.45pm at Northern Stage
Tickets from £10
Recommended age:
16+
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