Gasp
Thu, 5 Aug 2010, 08:26 amGordon the Optom1 post in thread
Gasp
Thu, 5 Aug 2010, 08:26 am‘Gasp’ was written by local playwright, Suzanne Rofe. Presented by The Blue Room’s 21st anniversary season and Hook in the Eye Productions nightly until 21st August 7.00 pm. Performances in the Blue Room Theatre, 53 James Street, Northbridge.
24-year-old Grace (Natalie Holmwood) signs herself into the hospital emergency ward, convinced that she is having a heart attack. She is advised that it a simple panic attack, that she is otherwise healthy, and just to away and forget about it.
On arriving home, perhaps Evan, her loving partner (Nate Doherty) will sympathise, but there again with the latest video game in the shops perhaps not. A good long sleep should help, but Grace dreams of a Victorian Institution and the strange doctors dressed in straight jackets running it. The characters look very similar to the consultants in her present day life. She consults her local GP (Matt Penny) who prescribes for her anxiety disorder, and than refers her on to a creepy, outdated, psychologist (Kingsley Judd).
Grace has terrible dreams of lobotomies, and suffering the horrendous works of quack doctors and phrenologists. She wonders - can anyone help?
When Evan introduces Grace to his beautiful fellow worker, ‘that slut’ Chloe (Fran Middleton), Grace’s tension multiplies.
Then Grace meets another girl with similar problems (Michelle Francis), will she gets some constructive advice? Will Grace win or the disorder defeat her?
Monique Wajon’s clever set consisted of a cloud (thoughts), heart and human cell, representing the person, integrated with a design of cogs and wheels to signify the workings of the mind itself. The cogs pattern being carried through to the costumes and furniture. The straight jackets were in an authentic striped Victorian style. Played against the translucent mobile screens were human shadows, shadow puppets and a very well produced animation by Nathan Mewett.
Monique Wajon’s clever set consisted of a cloud (thoughts), heart and human cell, representing the person, integrated with a design of cogs and wheels to signify the workings of the mind itself. The cogs pattern being carried through to the costumes and furniture. The straight jackets were in an authentic striped Victorian style. Played against the translucent mobile screens were human shadows, shadow puppets and a very well produced animation by Nathan Mewett.
The choice of Wagnerian music, the production of white noise brain waves was coupled with fine lighting design by Joe Lui.
The show was well written (Suzanne Rofe), accurately observed and interesting to watch, but it could be edited down in places. The direction by Michelle Sowden conveyed the emotions, and the acting generally very good, but the pace dragged on occasions.
An interesting very dark, dramatised documentary, with which many of us can relate.
Gordon the Optom
‘Gasp’ was written by local playwright, Suzanne Rofe. Presented by The Blue Room’s 21st anniversary season and Hook in the Eye Productions nightly until 21st August 7.00 pm. Performances in the Blue Room Theatre, 53 James Street, Northbridge.
24-year-old Grace (Natalie Holmwood) signs herself into the hospital emergency ward, convinced that she is having a heart attack. She is advised that it a simple panic attack, that she is otherwise healthy, and just to away and forget about it.
On arriving home, perhaps Evan, her loving partner (Nate Doherty) will sympathise, but there again with the latest video game in the shops perhaps not. A good long sleep should help, but Grace dreams of a Victorian Institution and the strange doctors dressed in straight jackets running it. The characters look very similar to the consultants in her present day life. She consults her local GP (Matt Penny) who prescribes for her anxiety disorder, and than refers her on to a creepy, outdated, psychologist (Kingsley Judd).
Grace has terrible dreams of lobotomies, and suffering the horrendous works of quack doctors and phrenologists. She wonders - can anyone help?
When Evan introduces Grace to his beautiful fellow worker, ‘that slut’ Chloe (Fran Middleton), Grace’s tension multiplies.
Then Grace meets another girl with similar problems (Michelle Francis), will she gets some constructive advice? Will Grace win or the disorder defeat her?
Monique Wajon’s clever set consisted of a cloud (thoughts), heart and human cell, representing the person, integrated with a design of cogs and wheels to signify the workings of the mind itself. The cogs pattern being carried through to the costumes and furniture. The straight jackets were in an authentic striped Victorian style. Played against the translucent mobile screens were human shadows, shadow puppets and a very well produced animation by Nathan Mewett.
Monique Wajon’s clever set consisted of a cloud (thoughts), heart and human cell, representing the person, integrated with a design of cogs and wheels to signify the workings of the mind itself. The cogs pattern being carried through to the costumes and furniture. The straight jackets were in an authentic striped Victorian style. Played against the translucent mobile screens were human shadows, shadow puppets and a very well produced animation by Nathan Mewett.
The choice of Wagnerian music, the production of white noise brain waves was coupled with fine lighting design by Joe Lui.
The show was well written (Suzanne Rofe), accurately observed and interesting to watch, but it could be edited down in places. The direction by Michelle Sowden conveyed the emotions, and the acting generally very good, but the pace dragged on occasions.
An interesting very dark, dramatised documentary, with which many of us can relate.
Gordon the Optom