Australian Scott Wings has brought to the Fringe the story of Icarus.
In Greek mythology, Icarus is the son of Daedalus, a master craftsman who builds himself and Icarus wings of feathers and wax so that they may escape from Crete. As the story goes, Daedalus has warned his son not to fly too high as the sun will melt the wax.
Here, Scott Wings has ignored the warning of the story as well and makes Daedalus one of the heavies for the purpose of this telling.
But Scott gives us much more than the myth. And so much more than himself in the myth. Scott brings all of his knowledge and interpretation of the fable to us so that we may examine our own lives.
He talks of love being the most clichéd emotion while helplessly giving himself to it. He talks about signs ignored being like lightning in a bottle. He warns us that we are all falling but that falling may not be the worst thing.
Scott delivers his stories rapid-fire. Sometimes it's hard or painful to keep up. He switches from mythology to reality and back without warning.
This is where the theatre is going in the 21st century. We will still have drawing room comedies that entertain us and make us happy that we are not them or wish that we were.
This theatre is exciting and scary. And vital. And relevant.