• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network





  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Ed Fringe

Ed Fringe 2016: Tent at Spotlites

August 11, 2016 by Alexander Hartley Leave a Comment

Review of: Tent
Product by:
My Complex
Price:
£8/7

Reviewed by: Alexander Hartley
Rating:
2
On August 11, 2016
Last modified:August 12, 2016

Summary:

Though it’s mostly unrealised, there’s potential here

More Details

“Can’t you say a word?” he asks his friend. Well, no: there’s nobody there, nobody else on stage—only Yuuya Ishizone, who is writer, director, and sole performer of this piece from Japanese theatre company My Complex. Tent is the story of two men who, after driving up a mountain to go hiking on the surrounding slopes, lose the car keys and find themselves locked out. Nothing’s for it except to camp out tonight in the eponymous two-manner and descend back to the nearest village in the morning. While his friend rests in the tent, Ishizone’s character keeps a video diary, confesses his fears and anxieties—“You know what? I get panicked on the packed commuter train”—and reflects on his experiences as a Japanese man living abroad in the UK: “Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are Japanese all together.”

Tent doesn’t pursue this idea all that far. It doesn’t pursue many of its ideas very far, in fact, because it is more interested in teeing itself up for twist that’s as banal as it is predictable. For this pair of hikers, it’s amazingly difficult to get through a single cold night, perhaps because of the blizzard of dramatic tropes and clichés drumming on the tent’s polyester sides. Though it’s mostly unrealised, there’s potential here; the talented Ishizone should have the courage of his convictions, follow his script’s lines of inquiry further, and cut back on the potted-existentialist truisms; in his unreliable, energetic, and self-doubting performance, there are the seeds of a compelling character, if only that character could find something to talk about other than his own position in the play’s symbolic apparatus.

One moment that stands out. Ishizone goes into the tent and disappears from view. For a few moments it’s quiet. No movement, no sound, just quiet, lasting longer than we in the audience expect. We look at each other. We’re sort-of in his presence, sort-of on our own. I don’t mean to come off obsessed with it, but, because they are unsettling and disarming and make us think about presence and absence, these seconds of emptiness are the most powerful part of this all-too-often-empty play.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *




MOST RECENT

Director’s Cut at the Vaults

Director’s Cut at the Vaults

Father (Vader) at Barbican Theatre

Father (Vader) at Barbican Theatre

Cuzco at Theatre503

Cuzco at Theatre503

Welcome to the UK at the Bunker Theatre

Welcome to the UK at the Bunker Theatre

Outlying Islands at the King’s Head Theatre

Outlying Islands at the King’s Head Theatre

Top Posts & Pages

  • Katy Owen: LAMDA Audition (First Round)
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • Katy Owen: Auditioning for Oxford School of Drama
  • Does Small to Mid Scale Theatre Touring Actually Work?
  • An Introduction to Applying for Funding
  • Ed Fringe 2016: Randy Writes a Novel at Underbelly Potterrow
  • Joseph Grimaldi Clown Memorial Service
  • Bridge Theatre announces 2019 Season
  • Alexander Hartley

    Alexander Hartley
    Author

  • August 11th, 2016
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2019 · Blue Pie Media

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.