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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