Transient

A filthy network of cavernous rooms grabs the audience, sucking them into the shattered world of 1945 Germany. It's a frightening and gutted land where families are broken and lives displaced. In this uneven production, we glance into the limbo of survivors looking for loved ones in the Third Reich's burned out shell.

Haunting music gives pathos to this piece, as the actors plunge deep into the bowels of the earth. Filthy figures sprint through the audience, who literally follow the unfolding drama from scene to scene.

The action that is followed though, is pretty dull. There are moments of pathos, and a great musical score, but the script's not up to scratch. It's not a car wreck, but jarring moments of wooden dialogue snap audience members out of their trance and remind them that they're walking though a bunch of rooms that could really use a hoover.

When it works, the setting allows the actors to weave in and out of the audience, shattering the fourth wall. It's this effect that delivers Transient's most interesting edge. Sadly though there's not enough of a story here, not enough characterisation, not enough of a play. There are a couple of mime sequences that feel rather too "drama school," and without the setting to save it, this production would be a mess.

Leaning too heavily on it's gimmick, Transient fails to allow the audience enough access to the inner worlds of the characters to deliver the potential impact of it's historical setting.