'In this way I shall preserve many things that would otherwise be lost in oblivion. I shall find daily employment for myself, which will save me from indolence and help to keep off the spleen, and I shall lay up a store of entertainment for my after life.'

For James Boswell posts please follow the labels on the right.

This blog mainly contains reviews from the Edinburgh Festivals from 2008 to 2010 which I wrote for the Edinburgh Festivals Magazine. These reviews cover everything from comedy to contemporary dance; children's theatre to Handel.


Sunday 23 October 2011

Icarus 2.0 Review

Icarus 2.0


Icarus, the mythological character who attempted to escape Crete by flight before falling to his death, is a tale of the dangers of excessive curiosity, arrogance, and flying too close to very large hot objects while covered in wax and feathers.

Icarus 2.0 is only loosely based on this idea. Initially the play started out well, leaving us wondering at the father and son stuck in their flat. It is a claustrophobic and atmospheric beginning, pregnant with suppressed emotion. The disciplined routine the pair follows seems to repress their fear and anxiety about the undisclosed nature of the situation. Young Icarus goes through constant physical tests, measurements and memory exercises.

Ambient outside noise – more sinister than pleasant – combined with the shipping news and air traffic crackling on the radio also add a slightly unnerving element to the forced happiness in the routine of the father and son. It is all faintly dystopian. 

However this interesting beginning fails to go anywhere. It lacks any resolution, and despite the scripts potential, there is also no twist. We remain as ignorant of the actual situation of the duo at the end as we were at the beginning.

A potentially interesting idea, with plenty of initial atmosphere and scope which fails to actually get off the ground.

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