‘Chaos weaves each act through one another, taking the audience on a disrupted journey’
The title Chaos: II, and a press release that implied this evening of skits confirms its title, set me on edge. I travelled to the theatre with trepidation, writes Michael Holland.
As we paraded into the auditorium two women were already on stage, one in a mirror fiddling with her face and hair, the other seemingly having an odd conversation with herself in what looked like someone else’s clothes. I convinced myself it would all make sense.
Their actions fizzled away to nothing and were replaced by an elderly couple planning a wedding and babies. It made some people laugh but before it went anywhere the stage was filled with a huge crowd of much younger, noisier people. I endeavoured to focus but found myself trying to negotiate an understanding from several scenes in what sounded like several different plays. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was a dog show.
I was wrong, it was an ‘Owner Most Like Its Dog’ show, which did make me laugh because that is a show I would really like to see.
And so a procession of short scenes continued – all unrelated or explained – and with no programme to refer to for guidance. What is this piece? Who are these actors? And so, much like the sitcom Friends where each episode has a title like ‘The One Where Phoebe Sings’, ‘The One Where Ross Marries Rachel’, I am left in a similar position.
I liked the the one where the woman in a snake suit eats the apple and gets a warning from God, and the one with the ingenue who plans out her next eight years towards fame, and the one with the lovers in a boat on a lake, and the one where the old couple role play naughty sex games, and the one where the boyfriend is babysitting a dog called Fellatio(The best piece of the night).
This is not an evening of shorts it is a night of chaotic performance where the comedy is very much hit or miss but the acting extremely good; where the writing rollercoasts from the sublime to the so-what. It veered from intelligent drama to drama undergrads putting on their first show for the rest of the class.
Chaos: II reminded me of the dance competitions from another era when the floor would be filled with dancers and judges would walk around tapping some on the shoulder to tell them they were out; a mass audition where performers try to outdo – upstage – the others to get noticed.
Chaos: II is an event with Bond Girl Madeline Smith, who brings equilibrium to an otherwise bizarre affair. An interesting event that will entertain those who can open their minds to the chaotic, the absurd and to new ways of presenting theatre.
Union Theatre, 229 Union St, London SE1 0LR until 7th February. Time: 7.30pm.
Ticket link: https://uniontheatre.biz/show/chaos-a-long-nights-production/
Running time: Approx 120 minutes with one interval.
Age recommendation: Ages 15+
