SYDNEY FRINGE: ROOM
One lawyer, one veterinary student, one cancer survivor, one online celebrity and one happily married businesswoman wake up in an unfamiliar room. Sounds like the beginning of an awful dad-joke doesn’t it? But honestly, the next two hours will have you on the edge of your seat.
One of the most outstanding aspects of Pete Malicki’s mind-meddling story Room is how skilfully he blurs the lines between reality and imagination. The transition from the first half of the piece to the second is seamless, as it takes you a second to comprehend that these people are still the victims of their illusive captors; however their imagination is now their reality.
Their creation of these alternative personas and scenes are both intriguing as they are haunting, giving us a glimpse into just how elaborate the human mind can be.
A special mention should go to Brendon Taylor, whose portrayal of ‘Matt’, the egotistical Gen Y web sensation is both convincing as it is hilarious within such a serious context.
After the unresolved conclusion, you leave the theatre with a tingling spine, hoping that such madness will never happen to you.
Any chance of Saw appearing on Broadway?
Someone call Pete Malicki.
Until Sep 29, The Italian Forum Cultural Centre, 23 Norton St, Leichhardt, $20-25, 9020 6980, sydneyfringe.com
BY CHELSEA DEELEY
