The Bunker 11 February – 11 March. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
Max Gill’s new adaptation of Schnitzler’s La Ronde is bold and entertaining. The cycle of sexual encounters sticks roughly to Schnitzler’s original characters, the most inspired change being the replacement of the soldier with a bus driver.
The cast of four’s fate lies in the spin of the wheel that dominates the stage, determining who plays each character in each scene. This is the aspect that could divide an audience. The spin can be overlong if the actor gets carried away, and a few people around me were initially unimpressed. On press night, the wheel failed to stop on Leemore Marrett Jr at all, meaning he only appeared in the final scenes by default – leading to laughter and groans from the audience as he kept missing out by mere inches. The roles are gender non-specific, resulting in a show that celebrates diversity and explores the shifting balance of power in relationships. This also makes you think about the possible combinations and your reaction if the genders of the actors were changed. Would you be laughing quite so much? There are some darker moments, where the characters seem to be about to reveal something more about themselves, but then, with an awkward faux pas or flippant one liner it slips back into comedy. I don’t know whether Gill is consciously making a statement about the typical British avoidance of serious issues by hiding behind humour, but there was a lot of that going on in the play.
The cast do a fine job, having to know every role inside out, and make sure that the brief time each character has on stage is relevant. Lauren Samuels, selected for the most overtly comedic roles on the night, was fantastic; Amanda Wilkin and Alex Vlahos had more variety in the characters they played and both were impressive and charming. Leemore Marrett Jr – who knows? But that’s the thing about this production. You leave thinking about the different combinations and who you’d like to see play certain roles, meaning that maybe a second viewing is needed.