crepuscular - 8 out of 10
Abbey Amber
TICKETS: End of Season
Crepuscular (adj): resembling or relating to twilight, or in the zoological world, it refers to an animal appearing or active in twilight (before sunrise or after sunset).
The final performance takes place at The Jade, one of the venue’s final performances before they close up. The atmosphere within added to vibes – fairy lights draping above the audience area, and courtyard-like table and chairs to sit at.
This piece of
theatre is an original piece written by Amber, along with original songs
embedded into the experience. The production begins with a young child,
sleeping on the floor before being awoken. With the assistance of an audience member
who plays Amber’s mother, we’re shared with a book her mother read to her… all
the way to chapter 3 but never being able to continue through to the next chapter
and beyond.
We are
drawn into the quiet, reflective world created as much as we’re drawn in with
Amber’s presence, confidence, and perhaps most importantly – the way she
presents the work, almost in verse. With a text-heavy production that is
creatively written with such descriptive language, she is forgiven for using a
prop onstage disguising her text to ensure she gets it all just right.
As we move
through the show, she jumps ahead ten years, estranged from her mother but
living with her father. While the house they once shared is now cold, isolated
and full of dust, that book that was never finished is still playing on her
mind. She finally builds up the courage to call her mother to find out what the
book is called, forcing a drop in the audience’s gut when the phone call is cut
short and we realise the reality of it all.
There are moments within the play the audience is asked to
shut their eyes when a lamp onstage is turned off by Amber, removing the sense
of sight from the equation and allowing the imagination to take over and fill
in the space. Upon reflection, there are other opportunities within the
production – both in text and in song, where this could further be explored to
enhance the feels further.
Fingers crossed this is only the beginning for crepuscular.
- Andrew Broadbent
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