Theatre review: Pool (No Water)

Katie Burson in Pool (No Water). Photo / supplied

Tall poppy syndrome is a widely-known phenomena, but its more insidious effects are rarely analysed in detail. Pool (No Water) looks at how a group of friends in the contemporary art world are warped by a friend's success and how their jealousy pushes them to exploit a tragic accident that befalls her.

Playwright Mark Ravenhill's dialogue is unassigned, the ensemble cast instead performing the text almost as one entity through a blend of dance and theatre. The pace is relentless, as the five core performers (Hamish Annan, Amy Atkinson, Katie Burson, Zak Enayat and Grace Goulter) draw the audience into the story, beginning with the traumatic event that causes them to tip over into toxicity.

The performance style is often mesmerising to watch but suffers from a lack of variation and breathing space, meaning audiences who might struggle in the beginning to keep pace with the abstract nature of the storytelling aren't given a chance to catch up.

The story becomes clearer when individual performers break away from the group, with Burson delivering the strongest moments; these glimpses allow the themes of greed, guilt, jealousy and trauma to be explored with more depth.

Director Amber Liberté also makes the choice to have Michelle Blundell, playing the envied friend Ellen Mason, appear from time to time to quietly dress the set as an art gallery, separate to the main action. It's initially unclear what the purpose of this is and it becomes a distraction; I found myself focusing on Blundell's activity and losing sight of the main narrative. What this side plot builds to is also rather underwhelming, and Blundell's performance is left wordless, which seems an unfortunate waste of her talents.

The story, overall, is largely inaccessible, which prohibits the play from truly grasping the themes it reaches for. But there are just enough moments where the abstractions that begin with the title come into shape, and the creative gambles and artistic reach of the play can be appreciated.

What: Pool (No Water)
Where and when: Basement Theatre; until Saturday
Reviewer: George Fenwick