The Infant
As the audience enters the auditorium they are faced by a man tied up and in a clown’s mask. This image is disturbing and it sets the tone of the overall show. The narrative focuses around a child’s drawing, but very quickly we find ourselves in a very surreal dystopian world, where as the audience we are not sure what is real and what is imagined.
The prisoner Cooper (James Seager) is the husband that we see tied up in a cell from the start, and as the show progresses he is soon joined in the detention room by his wife, Lilly (Faye Billing). The two thuggish captors, Catogan and Samedi are brilliantly played by Martyn Dempsey and Anthony Spargo.
There are echoes of Beckett and Pinter here. I was reminded of Ben and Gus from The Dumb Waiter. This is a production that clearly sets out to unnerve and challenge the audience. I felt disorientated and confused and I think that was the point. The play makes you question your own assumptions. This is a beautifully structured piece of work and extremely well acted.
– Julie Raby
