Tapestry of Fear

For many performers, the dank cellars of Underbelly’s Baby Belly (all three of them) are distinctly unattractive locations to stage their shows. The winding, crypt-like entrances and grimy, ancient-looking walls create a grim backdrop for the more light hearted productions. Good luck if you’re a comedian trying to raise your audience’s spirits in these dripping, medieval caverns. Yet for Tapestry of Fear, perhaps more than any other production this year, they provide a chillingly appropriate venue.

While not as outright terrifying as its name suggests, fledgling group Casbah Theatre’s new offering is deeply unsettling. We see two men stuck in an unidentifiable area outside of time and space with no recollection of how they got there or what they’re supposed to be doing. The sense of isolation is palpable, even if the main characters combine to make a stereotypically odd-couple: a stiff-upper-lipped gentleman and an insecure tree hugger. Their inevitable drift into panic and later on into philosophical musings is compelling and always maintains an air of claustrophobia. This remarkably solipsistic themeis carried off with the help of some reasonably humorous moments.

Yet the play’s failings stem from this basic idea. There’s really only so much you can do with characters that have little to no back stories and no real setting. An audience can only listen to ramblings about the meaning of life for so long before switching off.

The show only has a limited run at this year’s Fringe, so count yourself lucky if you get a chance to get caught up in the Tapestry.