Tuesday 3 November 2020

THEATRE REVIEW: The Delirium Of Phobos - The King's Arms Theatre, Salford.


Presented by The Carnival Of Eternal Light, 'The Delirium Of Phobos' is a live theatre production at The King's Arms Theatre in Salford as part of this year's somewhat interrupted and disrupted Greater Manchester Fringe Festival.

I cannot tell you how excited I was, I was like a child on Christmas morning; after months of lockdown, staying home, watching online, and basically vegetating, I was walking into a theatre, for a live theatrical experience once more - let's put to one side that it was certainly going to be the last until at least December for the moment - and this was a wondeful feeling. The auspices were good: staff at the King's Arms made sure everything was COVID-safe and the theatre itself was laid-out with several tables with cabaret-style seating: sadly only enough for a maximum of about 20 audience members (desperate times indeed!), but it was professional and it looked sleek with smart black cloths over the tables and each table was supplied with a candle and a small bottle of hand sanitiser (another reminder of the times). 

However as much as I was missing live theatrical performance and as much as I would love to give this show a positive review; unfortunately I am unable to do so.

'The Delirium Of Phobos' was the confusion and boredom of audience sadly. Lasting one hour without interval, the story, as far as I could tell, involved a fairy who was very sad because the humans kept laughing at her name, entering "a dreamscape of endless realities" in order to find the cascade, meeting an array of strange people along the way. For the most part of the production the actors' voices were quiet - too quiet - and so I didn't really understand much. The fairy spoke her name several times throughout and each time it was indistinct and so only by looking at the website do I now realise her name was 'Beastburden'. And as to how she entered the Delirium and why she needed to find the cascade I am still none the wiser. 

The production was unbearably pedestrian with absolutely no life in any of the performances and the scene changes were incredibly slow. The whole lacked life and energy, and since most of the cast were acting for TV rather than theatre, I had difficulty hearing the majority. There were a couple of exceptions to the above, but sadly, even their attempts at bringing any life and zest to the production failed.  

The production also featured a lot - and I mean a lot - of voiceovers. Political speeches, calling for the abolishment of dictatorships, and a return to happiness and simplicity.. we have lost our way. Just exactly how these fit into the narrative again was lost on me.

Overall the production looked tired and, a word I use in its second meaning, really rather amateurish.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 2/11/20 

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