Interiors – Unity Theatre, Liverpool (Tour)

Creators: Vanishing Point

Director: Matthew Lenton

Reviewer: David Noble

The Public Reviews Rating:

The set of Interiors is quite astonishing. Comprising of a dining room, there is an actual window separating the audience from the stage, so we get the impression we are looking in on a normal evening in someone’s house. Another quirk is that only one actor speaks! She (Elspeth Brodie) effectively narrates the action, as the rest of the cast mime.

The story revolves around a dinner party at Andrew’s (Andrew Melville) house, and the ensuing comedy and drama. The scenario is incredibly realistic, and the footnotes from our narrator are truthful and witty, which struck a chord with the majority of the audience. However, it is noticeable that the direction and purpose of the play are somewhat muddled and a little maudlin. The lack of dialogue also makes it difficult to maintain concentration on the little touches throughout the piece, but besides this Interiors is an inventive piece of theatre.

The visuals are indeed quite spectacular. Kai Fischer’s set is expertly conceived and the lighting is both beautiful and evocative. The overall realism and excellence of the set alone makes the play worth seeing.

It is hard to comment on the acting when watching a mime, but of the actors Ann Scott Jones was the most convincing. She perfectly portrayed the role of an older single woman, without necessarily being overly stereotypical. Similarly, Barnaby Power was excellent as we watched him try and be (unsuccessfully) the alpha male at party.

Overall, Interiors was a highly entertaining piece of theatre, the only thing that separated it from being brilliant was a clear vision of what it wanted to achieve. It brought in aspects of death and the pointlessness of life, which just didn’t chime with the rest of the play. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth seeing.