Review by Cameron Pegg

Where in the world are we? It’s a question you’ll ask yourself repeatedly while watching Volcano – the genre-defying theatrical experience that’s a marquee event of this year’s Brisbane Festival.

This audacious-yet-intimate work from Luke Murphy’s Attic Projects (Ireland) unravels over four, 45-minute parts, each separated by a short “pause”, or a longer interval.

Murphy and Ali Goldsmith appear trapped in the space before us – a grimy, dated loungeroom enclosed in a plastic shell. Within this human aquarium we watch the two men joke, spar and dance. Periodically, the transistor radio at the back of the room roars to life and the two performers quickly don costumes and evoke the era of the music, as if their lives depend on it.

An early disco sequence is electric. A rave section is less focused. Contemporary dance braids the chapters and the partners link their necks together and spiral throughout the cluttered space, displaying inventive, weightless lifts.

When they’re not dancing, Murphy and Goldsmith are pretending they’re on an episode of Jeopardy! or recounting pivotal moments in their lives. A camcorder on a tripod is moved about the room to capture the action. Who is directing this movie, and to what end?

Lighting (by Stephen Dodd) and set design (by Alyson Cummins and Pai Rathaya) effectively evoke a place which seems deeply familiar at first, only to prove unsettling.

Rob Moloney’s sound design holds the many pieces together, as Pato Cassinoni’s short videos provide a breadcrumb trail for where this is all heading. Only in the fourth and final act does Murphy (who is also writer, director and choreographer) turn the narrative inside-out to reveal its true destination. Even then, my viewing partner and I left the show in a spirited debate about our interpretations of what had just transpired.

Murphy and Goldsmith attack every monologue and dance break with intensity and utter commitment. Murphy’s character is the more trusting and nostalgic of the pair, while Goldsmith’s role plays the provocateur. This is cerebral and highly technical theatre requiring incredible execution.

During its first preview in Brisbane, the audience had to leave the theatre briefly while the action was reset. Later, during a fight sequence, the split-second timing of the sound effects and choreography was spot on.

A constellation of Irish arts organisations funded the development of this monumental production, with Australian philanthropists fostering the Brisbane season. Volcano is not for everybody – its early start and long run time mean you must be willing to strap in for the ride. But for those able to stay the course, its revelations about the human condition may prove profound.

Volcano continues at Brisbane Powerhouse until September 14. The theatre can be chilly, so bring a jacket.

brisbanefestival.com.au

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