An engrossing, experimental play that pushes the boundaries of theatre.
Sebastian Rex's Spare at New Diorama is what a lot of fringe shows wish they were. It opens with a Dr Seuss like energy without the colour but with all the sound. Eight actors dressed in white fight over the available parts including Friend, Doctor, Police, Parent and four named characters. Costumes are donned after the parts have been decided and the colour is brought back into the show.
The script is set but the actors take part in the character lottery each time the play is performed. The theatrical point here is to push the boundaries of what actors bring to the role, and it works. A concept explored briefly but brilliantly by The Factory with their series of short plays, Round 2, it throws up a variable rarely seen in theatre. Granted, every show has understudies but the skilled actors in Spare are versed in each of the eight roles and each night portray their own take on them. This proves to be a particularly effective experiment for this curious take on how society screws itself up.
In his exploration of authority, reasoning, tragedy, guilt, sex, and manipulation, Rex gives every line a point. A sex-obsessed pre-teen isn't really looking for sex and her cynical parent loves in measures. Meanwhile, someone deals with rape and a creepy psychiatrist takes advantage of his/her patients. A friend is looking for friends, while someone else is in a perpetual state of crisis. They all have their place on designer Kasper Svenstrup-Hansen's bold set before they find themselves wandering into each other's lives.
As engrossing as it is, Spare is sometimes a little overwhelmed by metaphor and becomes overly wordy. It could do away with some of the linguistic imagery and come out with something just as thought-provoking, more unsettling and a little less abstract.
Theatre company Acting Like Mad have an ambitious play on their hands but they're incredibly adept. One can't help but leave the theatre curious about the performances that another character lottery would result in.
Spare runs at New Diorama until 25th September
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