A slice of 20th century absurdist theatre is updated for the 21st century in this revival of Ionesco’s two-hander from the 1950s.
An elderly couple (similar to Beckett’s grotesques sealed off from the world) who live in a tower surrounded by water make grandiose preparations for imaginary guests. They include dignitaries including the Emperor himself who they hope will save them from mediocrity—and in particular an Orator who will tell their story.
Before the frantic arranging and rearranging of chairs for these ghostly guests, the couple bicker and swap stories, the old woman being both a wife and mother to her husband, who pivots from self-loathing to grandiosity and back again.
The play is peppered with contemporary references (Trump, austerity) which seemed unnecessary for a story so abstract and timeless. And the Orator’s arrival doubles down on that anachronistic silliness.
There is plenty of humour and pathos in the script, but the production is slightly overwhelmed by the performance of Bart Vanlaere, whose deliberately stilted and shouted delivery sometimes crowds out some of the quieter moments. Louise Seyffert is often very funny as she massages her husband’s ego and fragile frame.