THEATRE
Entitled, 3 stars
Summerhall (Venue 26)
Manchester's Quarantine theatre company specialises in
putting the lives of real people on stage. The real people in Entitled are
those we don't normally see when we go to the theatre. They are the production
managers and lighting technicians who build the sets, rig the lights and do the
sound checks.
This is the activity we see them engaged in, erecting and
then deconstructing a set for an unknown show, in a piece that often feels like
a durational art installation as much as a piece of theatre. Joined by the
dancers from this theoretical show, they take turns to break off and share
their thoughts about life and work. As often as not, however, they are just
getting on with their jobs, seemingly in a world of their own.
There's a strange, understated beauty in all this and there
are times when their work routine seems to serve as a metaphor for the ebb and
flow of their lives. There are times too when it is rather tedious (which may
be the point). It doesn't help that the setting suggests Entitled is going to
be another piece of navel-gazing theatre about theatre. Even if that is not the
intention, the performers' insights and dilemmas are not sufficiently acute to
make an intriguing show compelling.
Mark Fisher
Until 26 August
© Mark Fisher 2011
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