Enda Walsh’s Arlington, brought to Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre audiences by the Shotput Theatre company, is a uniquely wonderful hyperrealistic romantic-drama. Think Orwell’s 1984, Arlington brings all this and more. Following the tale of female protagonist Isla who reclines in solitude in a near-empty room, accompanied by the Young Man who watches and listens to her tales from the other side of the wall. Through the duration of the play, we begin to learn of the hellish landscape they are currently in, in which Towers are built and everyone is forced to live alone, driving them to experience paranoia and mania.
I have never seen a stage design this creative—flawlessly encapsulating the dystopian feel in the company of hanging screens, clothes and food dropping from the ceiling, big computers attached to cameras around the stage, and an almost empty stage beside piles of clothes.
Aisha Goodman, as Isla, manages to fill up all the stage, through beautiful, descriptive monologues and acting. An element of voyeurism is implemented as we cannot see Alex Austin (Young Man)’s face in the beginning, but Isla teaches us to utilise our imagination in times of hardship.
The sound of seagulls in the background is a daunting reminder of the freedom outside of the Tower—just slightly out of grasp from Isla’s reach. It was easy to sympathise with Isla and her isolated entrapment, as we begin to realise how our own lives mimic hers under a state of capitalism and societal compliancy. By the end of the narrative, I could hear, beyond doubt, a few sniffles amongst audience members.
Shotput Theatre’s signature dance-theatre, is emphasised in Jack Anderson’s surreal dance segment. Partnered with perfect lighting and stage design, we all become fully focussed into Anderson’s expertise through the control of his body to present a chilling performance. His facial expressions and controlled contemporary-dance movements made me feel uncomfortable to the extent I had to look away at certain points, and I think that was precisely the aim of the performance!
Image by Bryan Hartley, provided as press material.
