The Underground Man

The Underground Man is a new solo project performed by Adam Pierzchalski and directed by Lawrence Strangio (Green Room winner), presented by Rah Rah productions. It is supported by TRI and is in development stage for touring in 2011. The show is essentially an interpretation( not adaptation ) of the main character from Fydor Dostoevsky's"Notes for Underground". The Underground Man is a tragic inversion of man’s legitimate quest for self expression, self mastery and self determination. It is a subversive world created by the Underground Man that draws the audience into his prophecies of paradox, about what it means to be honest with oneself, to be human or to be a mouse. The work overlays multiple stimuli of sound, text and physicality to create an experience likened to an intensity that is unmatched or difficult to encounter elsewhere, " it's like Ayn Rand or Oscar Wilde on steroids" blended with an astonishing performance from acclaimed actor - Adam Perzchalski ( Rah Rah, Red Stitch, Melbourne Workers Theatre, 5 Angry Men, Teatr Biuro Podrozy). The story takes an existentialist view that “man is forever journeying without goal in a meaningless universe.” However it highlights the “law of striving for the ideal” which holds true in our society today. It comments on the urgent need for faith and belief, to hold onto when emotionally spent. Though dark and sombre it remains brutal, confronting and holds a glass over the stasis and finality of achievement so as to allow thought to burn through and break the sea frozen within us.(partial notes drawn from Robert Jackson’s Vision in Darkness) The Underground Man will first appear as a free event for one night only in October to 60 invited guests with a full season being presentd in 2011. Rah Rah envisages a regional VIC tour for the show in the second half of 2011 and International tour 2012.