By Jennifer Beasley.
A Meta and immersive ‘cold-reading’ play that time loops on the question, is life a play, and what are the echoes that reverberate and connect us to life?
Interesting, interesting, interesting.
Here I am, a reviewer told to not say too much about the contents of this play, as I sit in a packed theatre at the amazing Malthouse Theatre on opening night.
Knowing only that this is a ‘cold-reading’ of a play, that is, totally unrehearsed (by the Actor), with a different actor performing each night, sent little ‘ol me into a frenzy of delight. Innovative? Check. Creative? Check. A well written script featuring poetic moments, amazing technology and a sweeping narrative? Oh boy was I in check heaven!
So aside from this reviewer going into an ecstasy state, what is this play about?
On the surface, this is Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s evolution from his hit previous play, White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. Working again with Director Omar Elerian, who is talented up to his eyebrows, this unrehearsed play (yes, you read right, no need for glasses yet), implants the ‘Actor’, whom in this viewing is Hollywood heart-throb Ben Lawson, reading some of the play on a laptop and speaking prompts through an earpiece. Intersecting this are interactive scenes with Soleimanpour from his relocated home in Berlin.
What seems in the beginning to be just casual conversation, and the lovely Lawson takes this all in with grace and dignity, are thematic questions that repeat and layer throughout the performance.
With a sub text of four seasons to represent life, the concept of true home and finding yourself out of trauma and displacement from war, and the gift of family and making friends, this play uses the actor as a portal for the audience. Through the naivety of Lawson, an Australian male, we, the audience, are invited to experience the joy of Soleimanpour’s family, the fear of a corrupt Iranian government, and the bewilderment of displacement, which only stops looping when we accept the love of family and friends.
A simply marvellous score by Anna Clock pulls out the emotional punches, dotting the performance with power and presence. Similarly, the magic of the audio-visuals is a technical triumph, beautifully lit by Jackie Shemesh, which pinpoints the change of the seasons of life with emotive beauty.
A reoccurring theme which is written on one of the screens is, we are whispers from our past fading into our future, underscores the lyrical tone of the play, an echo if you wish, inviting the audience to pause, think, and have their own internal response to this statement.
Does the concept of the unrehearsed play work? That I believe isn’t the correct question. Rather, the question is- is it necessary? I, for one, believe it is. Having trained actors is vital to overcome the unknown fears of stage and direction. If they had pulled an audience member into the play at random there could be the experience of them not coping with the at times uncomfortable changes of direction (not to mention the lengthy prepping needed), and seemingly random conversations. All of which is another way to make us feel the disconnect with ourselves and mirror the experience of migration and all the confusion that entails.
It should also be considered that it is only the actor, and the audience, who are unrehearsed. Considerable behind-the-scenes work has gone into this production, where we have Soleimanpour as an omnipotent presence as both the playwright/actor/other, blurring timelines and bodies (where Lawson is acting as Soleimanpour) and the audience is drawn into this feat of connection.
I thoroughly recommend this to everyone. An incredible experience and thank you to the fabulous team at Malthouse for presenting this to Melbourne audiences. How thankful I am that we can view this incredible piece that pushes the boundaries of theatre. A must see!
E.C.H.O. – Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen plays at The Malthouse Theatre at 7:30 PM until 19th July 2025.
Image: Eugene Hyland
