The Six-Sided Man

Inspired by cult novel The Dice Man and performed by Gavin Robertson and Nick Collett
Company Gavin Robertson
Assembly Roxy

Do you rule the die or does it rule you?

In this quirky and disturbing piece, inspired by the cult novel The Diceman, two men play a dangerous game of ever increasing risk. A psychiatrist, bored with his monotonous life creates a pleasant diversion, a game in which he lists possible actions and lets the dice decide his choice.

There are only two rules: never to list an outcome that you're not prepared to take and always obey the dice. When he introduces a patient to this way of life, the stakes change and events take a much darker turn.

Staged with deliberate starkness, the beauty of this piece is its veneer of simplicity. The interplay between the two men (Gavin Roberston and Nicholas Collett) is electric with every move and every small glance carefully choreographed and expertly orchestrated. The detail of each mime is exquisite and the occasional blasts of Abba increase the underlying absurdity and yet tension of this ever-changing power play.

Tightly written and directed, this is a production that grips its audience and doesn't let go, drawing them into the clinical world of the Six Sided Man and his increasingly willing pupil.

As events escalate quickly, this becomes a parable about meanings of freedom and it is for the audience to consider whether they’d ever succumb to the power of the dice themselves. How far would you be prepared to take the game?

Reviewer: Amy Yorston

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