Cento Cose @ The Zoo

The show is described as being about the 'One Hundred Things' (Cento Cose) that stand between what we would like to be and what we are forced to do.

With manic, non-stop energy and raucous music, the cast create the high pressure day of a typical city-dweller: commuting, work, watching TV (a particularly humorous section is the orgasmic responses to the adverts), dating, and keep-fit frenzy. Meaningful human interaction between the characters is minimal – there is more interaction with the television than with each other – and the show documents the tensions lying behind the outward activity, with an especially powerful solo sequence on the pain hidden away.

The attitude is very broad brush: work is boring and we are trapped in The Machine. Heard it before? There is no room for greys in the presentation and, by design, there is little of the physical theatre fun of character interaction.

Near the end of the show, the screen displays a poem about a coffee cup that dreams of experiencing ice-cream. For me, the poem throws the lack of subtlety of the rest of the piece into sharp relief.  Cento Cose is a hardcore presentation for the hard core aficionado.