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Trailer

Published Thursday 12 October 2006 at 12:00 by Jeremy Austin

It is a rare thing when experimental theatre actually throws up something that works.

And here is one of those rare occasions. Indian Runner Productions’ surreal, allegorical tale of trailer-park desperation is an intensely sexual show that is bursting with ideas and originality.

Billed as exploring Sam Shepard’s desperate America, it combines his barrel-bottom characters with the surreal quality of Gus Van Sant’s arthouse movies.

Camille Litalien and Nicholas Cass-Beggs are a free-spirited bird and hanged dog living in a trailer trying to find some meaning in their life. A minimal script punctuated by lyrics from the Velvet Underground and (I’m pretty sure) Nick Cave wraps itself around intensely close physicality that expresses the intimacy and hopelessness of their situation.

The wooden frame of their trailer has pull-down screens upon which Marie Blunck’ s naive charcoal animation is projected as scenery. It is one of the most innovative yet effective uses of projection seen on the London stage for a long time.

Although there is the barest of plots, Trailer is about conveying a feeling and an atmosphere. It is ambient theatre and it manages this perfectly.

Sometimes we must be glad of experimental theatre and this is one of those times.

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