Two white tents sit proudly within the green garden of C south, their inhabitants famous mountain climbers, who, through a need for funding, have agreed to speak to the uninitiated and share their climbing wisdom.
Being an immersive piece, the twist is that the audience are split in two to hear the perspective of one climber in their tent. It’s certainly an unusual setting and, with the addition of walkie-talkie conversations, there’s still a connection to the rest of the audience in the other tent.
It’s clear through an awkward exchange at the beginning of the piece that there’s competitive rivalry between the women and much of the script centres around explaining and analysing this fact.
Once in their tent, the performers essentially tackle a long monologue, each telling a unique story from their own perspective. There’s light and shade within the speech and the biscuits are a nice touch but this is firmly immersive rather than interactive.
Basecamp is a charming show which is well executed by the performers but with a script that seems to meander. It’s an enjoyable 50 or so minutes but the tension so carefully set up at the start doesn’t come to fruition in any dramatic sense and the ending is a bit of an anticlimax as both audiences regroup, unsure if it’s finished.