OBSERVER: Carbon
Carbon, by playwright Pier Lorenzo Pisano, is more a psychological study in what motivates ‘team carbon’ than a science fiction tale of humanity’s first encounter with an alien.
An interrogation begins the play where A (Caroline Lee) attempts to verify the first-hand account of B (Pantazi Terzian) who touched a non-carbon entity.
A’s reasons for doing so speak to a pathological desire for knowledge and certainty in the face of an unknown threat.
B seems to be trying to recapture his past and reshape his account to satisfy those interrogating him.
Intermittently, the Voice (Connor Leach), provides an analysis of NASA’s project where a copper disk was launched into the unknown on a satellite with pictures and graphics ostensibly explaining life on earth.
The audience finds that there is an open-ended interpretation as to what makes our carbon-based existence unique.
It changes, morphs, develops, sends us mad and is based on memories, whims and instinct. There is no one complete answer.
The challenge for director Katy Maudlin was to find the right balance in the performances of the cast to satisfy the intellectual and socio-psychological attitudes and experiences of the characters.
Leach’s effervescence contrasts with Terzian’s initial and seeming nonchalance with which he imbued his character.
Lee’s character had an investigator’s persistence. But so much depends on how the audience engages with the issues and how they imagine one would react. It is, of course, an unknown. There are so many possible interpretations.
The intimacy of the set (Anna Cordingly), the simple chairs and raised rostrum, allowed for levels of performance that were suitably lit (Richard Vabre) and the integration of visuals (Lochlan Maher) took us back to the days of the overhead projector. And Moorhead’s soundscape provided a touchstone to memory.
This is a cerebral work and not a conventional narrative. The interpretation is open-ended and dependent on thoughtful engagement. Prepare to be disoriented when it comes to who we are.
Performance Season: Until December 6
Venue: Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, St Kilda East.
Bookings: redstitch.net
Review by David McLean
Pictured: Caroline Lee and Pantazi Terzian in Carbon. Photo: Sarah Walker.