Review: MANIKINS: A WORK IN PROGRESS, CRYPT

Deadweight Theatre’s The Manikins: A Work In Progress is many things. It is interactive. It is intimate. It is thought-provoking. And, despite the misleading title, this is a polished work of hidden depths.

And by intimate, I do mean intimate: for the entire running time of around 60 to 90 minutes, the entire roll call is composed of a single audience member and two actors from the cast including creator Jack Aldisert plus Olivia Steele, Mimmi Bauer, Michael Hajiantonis, Serena Lehman and Amber Williams. The whole thing takes place in a crypt under Bethnal Green’s St Peter’s Church that has become something of a magnet for other immersive experiences like Midnight Circle's award-winning Frankenstein. It is within this dark and dank interior that we are introduced to Aldisert’s nightmare expert Dr Ligotti and the story begins to unfold.

Revealing anything tangible about Manikins’ inner workings is frankly pointless and, for those who like their dramas to be neatly spread out over three acts, Manikins will be a hard sell. What actually happens is different every time and, to a great extent, is steered by the words and actions of the audience member. With a plot that constantly evolves the further down the rabbit hole we go, it becomes clearer why this three-hander has been labelled “a work in progress”.

What can be safely revealed is that Aldisert is something of a geek when it comes to immersive theatre. An academic of the dramatic arts, the American has studied in the US and Dublin as well as London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (where he received an MFA in advanced theatre practice).

It was at the latter that he met his Deadweight co-founders and began a journey creating interactive drama for small audiences. Each of their outings so far have been based in real-life situations but with surprising twists. Debut show Keep Me In The Loop (2022) re-imagined the office life for a group of five and appeared at Camden Free Fringe as part of RCSSD's Format Festival while last year’s Rubbernecks explored urban loneliness through the works of painter Edward Hopper for up to eight punters at a time.

Each show begins with Aldisert greeting the next participant outside the church; it’s not giving too much away to say that his manner comes across as unnerving yet enticing, like a random offer of free cake. Reminiscent of the writings of the late Iain M Banks, the setup is initially opaque with little genuinely certain until some time has passed.  The sound design by Tim Eichelbaum creates the right ambience, imparting little beyond a sense of mystery. Min-Chien Feng’s functional set similarly leaves us few clues as what to expect.

Every step closer to figuring out the labyrinthine twists pulls us further in. Dreams and the nature of reality - and the fuzzy border between the two - come into focus. Its not long before this experience feels like something that Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Damon Lindelof might have come up with if they had Edgar Allan Poe, MC Esher and Salvador Dali throwing in ideas from time to time. 

The critical acclaim from the industry press and word-of-mouth has already led to the first set of shows being sold out and the run extended. Even in the post-pandemic fillip that this art form is currently very much enjoying, there is nothing around now which is quite like it.

This isn’t an open-world adventure like Phantom Peaks or Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City, neither is it a promenade affair like the latter’s current underwhelming effort Viola’s Room or Layered Reality’s War Of The Worlds. Closer comparisons are the works of master storyteller Seth Kriebel (especially A House Repeated) and, although it lacks ZU-UK's signature use of modern technology, those who have attended their Binaural Dinner Date may also see parallels. 

Manikins is deceptively lo-fi, relying more on its beguiling acting, head-spinning concept and penetrating psychology than expensive props or rigs. The idea of having all the attention focused on one person for an hour can be a daunting prospect for the more introverted but every effort is made to accommodate and the reward is an experience which will likely stick around in the mind for some time. Those lucky enough to snag a ticket to this dark, mystery-laden masterpiece should leave doubts and cynicism at the door and surrender to its bizarre premise. 

Manikins continues at CRYPT until 7 July

Photo credit: Rebecca J Windsor

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