Confined Human Condition

Cryptic confine the heart and impress the eyes.

Article by Gail Tolley | 04 Nov 2009

Confined Human Condition is the latest intriguing offering from Glasgow's Theatre Cryptic, made up of two monologues which grapple with different themes in different settings.

First up, The Baghdad Monologue: a woman, silhouetted behind three translucent panels, talks of her experience in war torn Baghdad. Fragmented staccato speech combines with an abstract soundscape to form a frenetic picture of chaos and grief. It is, at times, aesthetically breath-taking; silhouettes loom large, giant legs runs across the panels and light sporadically shines through to reveal the protagonist, caught in her frosted prison.

The second monologue is equally rewarding visually: apples strewn the stage, a plush velvet couch protrudes metal spikes and three large mirrors create a prison of decadence encased in pink light. The character sings in piercing operatic tones accompanied by a voiceover of spoken work and electronic sounds. No firm narrative emerges rather, themes and states of desire, pain and sacrifice.

Whilst both pieces are confidently and impressively executed visually, there’s the sense that the content doesn’t quite rise up to meet the standard of the aesthetics. The themes explored here - in the first the effects and devastation of war and in the latter; sex, death and desire - are hardly new. However there is no preaching here and the abstract combination of sound, speech and image create an intellectual space around these ideas which allows the audience to bring their own meaning to the work and for new thoughts to arise.

Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal
10/09/09
8pm
www.breweryarts.co.uk

Tron Theatre, Glasgow
17/09/09-19/09/09
7.30pm
www.tron.co.uk

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
25/09/09-26/09/09
8pm
www.traverse.co.uk

http://www.confinedhumancondition.com