Experience relationships and romance in a totally new way
Reviewed at the Adina Apartment Hotel on 13 March 2019
Presented by U Mad? Productions
A raw, intimate and engaging delve into love and lust, The Cocoon invites its audiences to get up close and personal with the most vulnerable moments within relationships and romantic experiences.
The Cocoon consists of four separate vignettes, all performed at the same time, four times in a row so the audience has a chance to experience each one of them at some point within the show. Rotating around the overall theme of the human romantic experience, they each delve into more precise ideas. From physical love developing into emotional love, healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics and an insatiable lust for love followed by heartbreaking rejction, The Cocoon also addresses queer relationships, acknowledging the reality that not all love and lust is just between a man and a woman.
The show is held within the old underground tunnels underneath the Adina Apartment Hotel Treasury, providing even more than simply a unique venue for the audience to experience. Being inside these confined, winding tunnels almost mirrors the intimate look the audience receives into the winding thoughts that fill the characters minds. As the vignettes are all performed simultaneously, the echos of each performance bleed into the corners of the monologue/duologue you’re currently focussing on, symbolising that within these individual romantic scenarios we’re all still connected in our mutual human emotions.
Throughout all the character’s monologues/duologues they break the fourth wall, openly acknowledging the audience through their internal dialogue of whirling thoughts and inviting them to participate within the scenes. There’s no escape from these intimate interactions within these small underground rooms as the actors directly address audience members (to which you can choose to interact back or stay silent).
All actors are dedicated to their perfromances and despite competing consistently with other powerful portrayals around them, they impressively fail to falter within their scenes. An honourable mention must be made of the powerful and humorous actor who faces the gut-wrenching realisation that her love is un-requited, shattering the image that Disney Princesses had created throughout her childhood.
The Cocoon provides a truthful, raw and sometimes humorous look at the truth within varying relationships with its unique setting making it all the more powerful. If you’re keen for a unique theatre experience in an unusual location, this is the show for you.
Reviewed by Georgina Smerd
Twitter: @Georgie_xox
Venue: Adina Treasury Tunnels at Adina Apartment Hotel Treasury Adelaide, Adelaide, 5000
Season: 13 – 17 March 2019
Duration: 60 mins
Tickets: $23.25 – $30
More News
