#Tweetingit – 1* Not at all representative of the shows usually linked to London Wonderground – a thin script and gimmicky theatrical devices left this reviewer in the dark.
The lights come up, the clapping carries on longer than I expect, “I genuinely have no idea what just happened.” A few glances between couples begin and then we filter out to try to figure out what on earth we just saw.
Cut is described as part art installation, part theatre poem, part noir thriller, with adult themes and periods of complete blackouts. Having won quite an array of awards, I was feeling hopeful. After being greeted an incredibly smiley flight attendant ( I have figured out that was her role instantly – this was not the only thing which was a touch predictable) we took our seats, had the safety procedures explained to us and told the method of how to get out of the show of it “gets too much” – put your hand in the air and say the safety word, “Cut”.
The show is made up of memories, nightmares and present happenings, her monologues
switching between third and first person erratically, the story focusing on a woman who spots a man on the flight she is a flight attendant on, leering at her, he follows her off the plane, out of the airport, to the train….you get the idea, we all did about 5 minutes in.
But is it in her imagination, is she somewhat deranged, verging on psychopathic – we hear a story of how she watched a friend suffocate and repeatedly revive a fish before killing and burning it, when she was a child – or is she really in danger? We never found out….
In between scenes, we are plunged into darkness, complete darkness. I am not a big fan of the dark, and for the first fifteen minutes, I am a bit frightened. However, not long in, I realise I am not in danger, that nothing particularly scary is going to appear in the performance space in front of me, and I relax and begin to wonder why she is wearing sunglasses. Perhaps not the response the writer nor performer wanted.
On the plus side, they’d done a good job of making it genuinely pitch black and the soundscape was pretty good, although it could’ve done with more speakers around the room if the idea was to make it disorientating.
Overall, this performance felt gimmicky, with an overuse of theatrical devices and a scant and predictable script. I think I was hoping something else might happen else I would’ve put my hand up earlier.
Running until: 31 July
Writer: Duncan Graham
Performer: Hannah Norris
Tickets available at: http://www.thevaults.london/#!cut/c1e1t
Playhouse Pickings 