Frisson is a theatrical experience presented by Edinburgh-based company Production Lines and written by cmfwood. The piece comes as two parts- in person and online. This review covers the online part of the show which takes place over Zoom.
Frisson is a play that takes a look at what has changed for the better since the country has emerged from national lockdown and how it has affected our connections with others. Four actors take part in two separate interactions.
Marcel and Jonathan are two individuals who have been communicating for some time with a view to dating despite the distance between them. It is their first time 'meeting' on Zoom and there is some anxiety over whether they will live up to the image they have projected of themselves. It's a sweet idea but the execution is excruciating. I'm not sure whether this was recorded live but the performances are so clunky and uncomfortable, it goes far beyond the initial awkwardness of their characters.
The other pair are Kai and Eve. It takes a short while to establish their relationship from an outsider's perspective but it becomes clear that Eve was offering free counselling online to the young woman during the pandemic. Their exchange is slightly less awkward but feels far too long and drawn out.
Through both conversations, confessions are made and truths come to light. None of the characters are particularly likeable so it is difficult to get invested in any of their stories.
I understand that I've probably missed out a chunk of the context for this having not taken part in the in-person portion of the piece (but I was offered the chance to review solely this part). I suspect also that the idea of a return to Zoom theatre has brought back some deep-seated panic about the days when that was all we had to look forward to but the writing and execution of the online portion of Frisson failed to connect for me.
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