Following their 2014 production of Ganesh Versus The Third Reich, Back To Back Theatre returns with their critically acclaimed new work Lady Eats Apple which was co-commissioned by Carriageworks.
This devised piece is a collaboration with director Bruce Gladwin and the cast. “We wanted to make something slightly beyond our reach” says executive producer Alice Nash. “Death is one thing that unified us” says Gladwin. “The inevitability of death, our fragility and the myths we create to fortify ourselves were starting points for the making of Lady Eats Apple.
The play is separated into three acts and each starts with a creation and ends with a destruction. We enter the venue through a dark tunnel and push through the white inflated ‘lips’ to enter the space. A birthing. A new beginning. Once we have settled into our seats and placed the headphones on you notice the entire cavernous space of Carriageworks Bay 17 is enclosed in a black cocoon of material. Above us. Around us.
In the begining was the… The first scene is the creation of life.  One actor is predicting the animal image on the back of a series of flash cards. Towards the end of the ‘naming of the animals’ another actor enters the stage dressed in the same clothes as the creator’s – in his image if you will. We enter into a fascinating, funny and thought provoking take on creation and, eventually, death. Some very intelligent comedic lines were woven within and Scott Price is endearing and his throw away delivery and comic timing brought out the nuances in this script.
With theatrical flare the black cocoon is whipped away and we find ourselves in a white cocoon and ultimately in total darkness. The next two scenes play out following a similar form – creation and destruction. The opening scene is the strongest, the middle scene a little long and, thanks to Mark Deans and Sarah Mainwaring the final scenes, the most tender.  We watch a scene played out at the rear of the vast, now exposed, space and hear the sometimes whispered, delicate conversation between a couple as they explore their feelings for each other.
Simon Laherty and Sonia Teuben also contribute beautiful work to the scenes. The ensemble work together beautifully.
The use of headsets enhances the experience in many ways but also at times detracts  as we find ourselves ‘locked away’ from the live performance. Its strength is that we are more distant from the live performance and yet, conversely, more intimate. Lachlan Carrick, and Marco Cher-Gibard provide a soundscape that ranges from intruding to delicate, always complimenting the moment. Nick Carroll‘s sound system design is at its most creative towards the end when extraneous sounds are moulded into the scene with the use of a surround sound.
Mark Cuthbertson‘s set is successfully simple and stark and has a dramatic flair in the revelation of each new scene.
This was a wonderful experience – funny and touching. Sadly you have missed the opportunity to see this show in Sydney. If you happen to be in Vienna or the Netherlands in June, then you are in luck.
Lynden Jones – Theatre Now & On The Town
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