[2015105] Darkle
Lazy Saturday Productions @ Holden Street Theatres – The Studio
7:30pm, Tue 3 Mar 2015
A nigh-on nonsensical tirade of interwoven dialogue greets the audience at the beginning of Darkle; three (presumed) teenagers are sprawled around a scruffy shared apartment when the lights come up, and their babble (in which the name of the play is dropped like a hand-grenade) is almost free-form in nature. It does, however, paint them with a blasé brush: they believe that they are invincible.
The introduction of their landlord, Mr Stringer, adds a bit of a creepy vibe to proceedings… but it’s not until the three hoodlums decide to kidnap (and, later, kill) his dog Max that things feel dark. Really dark. And, somewhat surprisingly, political.
And confusing.
The female characters show remorse over the dead dog, but undercut that tangible response with effervescent giggle fits. And the denouement of the play – with Stringer gathering the dog-murdering, landlord-torturing kids around him – is baffling: he’s adopting them as family.
And I’ve no idea why.
Very little of Darkle makes sense. The plot makes no sense. The motivations and actions of the characters make no sense. And my enjoyment of this inexplicable play makes no sense. And I certainly did enjoy it – it was performed with an impressive commitment and unflappable enthusiasm, and its content certainly commanded my attention. The only problem is that I have no idea what its intent was.
(105) Darkle: Troubled youths kill and eat a dog to save on rent and gain a family. Um… what? Super weirdly Compelling. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) March 3, 2015