Review: IN EVENT OF MOONE DISASTER, Theatre503

In Event of Moone Disaster marks Andrew Thompson's debut. The play was chosen by a panel for the 2016 Theatre503 playwright award, out of 1,629 scripts submitted from 52 countries.

Three adventurous women are presented, each with a desire to escape their reality. In 1969, Sylvia meets an astronaut at a party who changes her world. Eighty-six years later, her granddaughter prepares to be the first woman to step foot on Mars.

The show started 20 minutes late due to lighting issues, yet it seemed like the cast had a desire to still finish on time. The actors rush through their performance, constantly throwing away lines, so the text often fails to land.

Rosie Wyatt as a young Sylvia has adopted for her character the shrillest voice imaginable, and it's difficult to listen to. When she then adds a generic, averagely executed American accent in her role as 2055 Sylvia, it becomes really testing.

The most authentic era is 2017, where we meet 1969 Sylvia's son, desperately trying to figure out whether his dad was a regular chump or a courageous traveller. His wife is expecting a child, and together they go through a tough ordeal as they battle with a crisis of family identity.

There is a genuine connection between the pair, as Will Norris and Alicya Eyo work together to effectively demonstrate the struggle of prospective parenting. At the same time they care for an older Sylvia, who suffers from dementia. This role seems better suited to Wyatt's ability.

Lisa Spirling's first production as Theatre503's new artistic director is bland and struggles to highlight the complexity of the script. There are many awkward costume changes that happen in front of the audience - they occur so often you find yourself distanced from the action.

Chi-San Howard's movement direction isn't utilised enough, only ever scratching the surface. At the beginning there's a short sequence between Sylvia and the astronaut; it evokes feelings of lust, fear, and excitement. Unfortunately it ends too soon, and I wish that more of the story would be told through this medium.

You can appreciate what this piece is trying to say, but it lacks the fizz that the characters speak so much of. The play attempts a lot, yet never quite reaches its destination.

In Event of Moone Disaster at Theatre503 until 28 October

Photo credit: Jack Sain

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