In this madcap farcical production, the very tenuous plot revolves around H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine.
Michael Dylan, Dave Hearn and Amy Revelle in The Time Machine | Photo © Manuel Harlan
However, much of this is lost with a weary meta-drama structure and despite the extraordinary talent and energy of the cast, it struggles to find a focus and a way through.
Whilst there is dialogue around the paradoxes of time travel and much discussion about whether it is possible, there are many other themes that are overlooked.
The audience arrives in 802701 to a world of catastrophe and conflict but this is short lived and the rest of the piece relies on gags, audience participation and random music which provide moments of excellent comedy, but the early promise soon fizzles out.
The sterling cast of Dave Hearn, best known for his work with Mischief, Amy Revelle and Michael Dylan work hard with the material directed by Orla O’Loughlin are essentially let down by the repetitive structure and totally abstract Act 2.
Michael Dylan is exceptional in all aspects of the piece, whilst Dave Hearn’s physical comedy is used to great effect.
However, so much of the script is about how hard it is to adapt the piece and how unlikely it would be to work, and therein lies the issue.
Whilst it is without question good fun and skilfully performed, the random mash-up dance feels more like a time filler and as it tumbles to its conclusion it feels that perhaps it would be more at home in an intimate venue as a one-act piece as it lacks the quality of what we have come to expect from the dropped lines, purposeful bad acting and on-stage arguments of Mischief.
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Reviewer: Petra Rose Alexander
