Edinburgh Review: Confused in Syracuse (C venue C until 26th August)
4 stars
How could
you not love a play in which a giant white centaur becomes separated from its backside
after its umbrella is struck by lightning? Ridiculous and absurd from beginning
to end, “Confused in Syracuse” is a physical theatre piece by St
Petersburg-based OPS Theatre. The performance is structured around two loose
narratives; a love triangle between a blue-skinned god and his two competing
lovers who stumble on a Pandora’s Box, and the unfortunate afore-mentioned
centaur. Blending mime, slapstick, frolics in a tin bathtub, and occasional outbursts
into arias (in Greek), the company does an impressive job of wordlessly communicating
the plot basics and creating interesting characters.
The five-strong
cast all pull their weight in keeping us fixed on the action (even the back end
of the centaur gets his chance) with their ironic contorted facial expressions
and funny little gestures. There is so much energy on stage your mind rarely has
the opportunity to wonder what exactly is going on here. This is probably a
good thing. To be honest, there’s little (if any) intellectual substance to
this play, but that is one of the things which makes it great. “Confused in
Syracuse” deliberately doesn’t explore weighty issues or make clever points, but
it is an hour of hysterically funny entertainment and pure escapism. What a
welcome relief after nearly two weeks of mentally-exhausting classic play
revivals and student drama cleverness.
You
could describe “Confused in Syracuse” as a Marmite show. If you like pantomime
and are comfortable with things not always making sense, you’ll probably love
it. If you like your theatre a bit more clear-cut, this probably isn’t the show
for you. Either way, there are some absolutely hilarious moments, and some
which are just plain bonkers.
