ABSOLUT Fringe 2012 | Anna in Between | Pillowtalk

Star Rating: 4 /5

Venue: Players’ Theatre
Review by: Sinéad Finegan

ABSOLUT(ely): Theatrical
In a nutshell: Follow Anna through the muddle of everyday life, memories, friends, family and work as it all gradually becomes too much.
Best for: Anyone looking for a new take on the musical
Not for: Anyone expecting Hairspray/Glee…

Dubbed as a “play with songs”, Anna in Between is an unusual combination of theatricality and music. Scenes, and even characters, blur and change around Anna, with music as the perfect fluid backdrop. In the midst of all the chaos of Anna’s every-day life, it seems no surprise when characters open their mouths to sing. Nothing is either natural or as it seems to Anna, so the songs blend with the rest of her metamorphosing, dissolving world. There is a great sense of theatricality, and the kaleidoscope of scenes provides lots of laughter throughout. But beneath the plentiful humour, there is serious subject matter at hand: Anna’s ever-diminishing grip on her own life. This play represents the world of twenty-somethings, and the crux of the matter for Anna may well resonate with many in that age-bracket: as the chorus sing to Anna at one point, “something must have happened, something must have happened to you.” But nothing has; nothing whatsoever. It’s an accurate reflection on the world of characters like Anna when we can have a tragedy with no great tragic act at its source: the ordinary world and simply existing in it has become the tragedy here.

Story by EI Team | 09:00 | Wednesday 12th September 2012 | Theatre

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