‘Just In Case’ is an amazingly engaging piece of theatre. We all have our own issues around mess, keeping things we should throw away and throwing away items that get on our nerves, whilst some of us would love to poke around other people’s houses and make those decisions for them.
From the minute we are greeted by Greg (a very charming and funny James Hallifax) and asked to help clean up the home of the Wilson sisters, two notorious hoarders, we are taken on an inventive ride that keeps us rapt from start to finish.
As we invade their home, the sisters (the wonderful Bertie Harris and Louise Ann Limb) tell us their story – which is also the story of their clutter – through a series of surreal joltsas items around the place remind them of their personal dramas.
Increasingly, the tale becomes a poignant as well as a humorous one, and the performers imaginatively use light shows and everyday objects to explain to us why so much of the house is imbued with life for them.
This is a production characterised by an exciting, imaginative use of space, moving away from traditional formats with great success.
Throughout, they prompt us to consider an implicit play on the name of the house – are the sisters too comfortable in the clutter they have trapped themselves in?
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Reviewer: Laura Seymour | Rating: **** Four Stars | Production: Bert & Lou Theatre Company