Teatro EnVilo are a talented quartet of performer directors specialising in physical theatre in the vein of early Complcite. Their slick, intense performances make Interrupted an enjoyable performance, although the story at the heart of the piece needs a bit of fine-tuning to match the skilled ensemble work on show.
A 2m x 2m square box is marked out on the stage. Behind, on either side, are two coat rails with a variety of jackets and accessories, a line of shoes and most intriguingly a music stand with an iPod sitting on it, which provides the soundtrack to the piece. The square box is the controlled world of our protagonist Annabel (Andrea Jimenez Garcia), whose ordered life is pieced together by the three other women dressed in cream tops and black trousers. Shoes dart to Annabel’s feet upon her command; her grey wardrobe pops into the square like magic – everything she needs is at her fingertips.
Over 60 minutes of brilliantly precise puppetry, Annabel lives an increasingly stressed out life as she tries to prepare for an extremely important meeting at work whilst a bunch of bouffon style characters begin to thwart her efforts to remain calm. The three other performers dip in and out of a variety of characters: a sleazy colleague, Tony is a highlight as well as a hair-swishing dim-witted PA. Annabel’s boss Rafael, portrayed by Noemi Rodriguez Fernandez, is an hilariously over-the-top incarnation of a power-crazed lunatic, although Fernandez could do with taking the energy down one notch to clarify her characters’ actions and dialogue.
Soon, Annabel’s world starts to breakdown. The ensemble of enablers revolt and begin to mess with her head: the coffee cup is the wrong way round, a wine glass floats in the air and a flamenco dress is offered from her usually very ordered wardrobe. She becomes increasingly erratic and paranoid, hurtling towards a tragic climax.
What’s never quite clear is why this is happening to her. At points it feels as if she is going mad; characters reference her being unwell – has she been having hallucinations? Is she having a mental breakdown, imagining all of these strange occurrences or are they really happening? Also, the characters popping in and out of Annabel’s life are far more interesting than Annabel herself. Extreme, funny and over-the-top it’s a joy to watch the performers masterful clowning. I yearned to care more about Annabel and understand why her world was falling apart; and the team should know better than use a Sigur Ros track for their beautifully choreographed slow-motion sequences.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Teatro EnVilo come up with next – they have talent, skill and complicity in spades.