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A Slung Low production, directed by Alan Lane at The Lowry, Salford
We've all been at events that have gone wrong. Technical difficulties hold up presentations. People don't turn up on time. The pretzels run out. That type of thing. But ever been at a book launch that's been first taken over by a militant amputee and then invaded by flesh eating immortals? This is the premise of groundbreaking theatre company Slung Low's latest interactive theatre piece - They Only Come at Night: Resurrection, which is currently tempting fright-seekers into The Lowry.
You're a VIP guest at the launch of graphic novelist Milo McKenzie's latest work - a new novel based on supposedly imaginary events of one horrific night. Things are weird from the start. 'Lowry' staff act strangely, offering 'salty snacks' and asking guests for their blood type. Don't know it? Don't worry, they've an odd looking man with a scary looking machine who'll take a swab for you. 'Make sure you can see at all times' the staff tell us constantly. 'See what? Where should I be looking?' I ask a glamourous waitress. She smiles wryly and walks away. This is peculiar, and I like it.
Graphic novelist Milo seems tetchy from the start, and acts with an inappropriate level of uneasiness when technical difficulties hold up the evening's proceedings. It becomes clear that something's going on, and Milo doesn't want to tell us about it. But that's ok because Quinn, the guerilla militant that hijacks the event after a few minutes, is more than happy to fill us in on Milo's back story. It seems that Milo's latest novel isn't as fictitious as he'd have us believe - and in fact there are some flesh eating vampires on the loose outside The Lowry, who are right now licking their lips at the thought of eating us all.
Scary? Er, no actually. It should be. But it's not. In fact at times, it's... dare I use the word... dull. The thing is, there are points when the stage direction make it impossible for all audience members to see what's going on. Some of the conversations between Quinn and Milo drag on just a little too long, with a repetitive script and a poor sound quality, and at times I found myself like a bored school child kicking my heels at the back and wishing I had a paper airplane to throw at my friend across the room.
Which is a shame really - because overall the show is a bloody good idea. Slung Low have created a multi-media experience where TV, internet, live performance and publishing blend together to submerge guests into an alternative reality - and an excellent use of the locality, with footage shot outside the Lowry, add to that discomforting feeling that horror can cross the line into our domain and isn't always constrained to the world of film.
But in this case - or at least on the evening I attended - the event seemed to fall flat, with guests looking more bemused than swept along. For these kind of productions to work the audience has to believe in the world that's been created around them - no matter how momentarily - and here Sung Low fell short, despite an obvious abundance of effort.
Hopefully the production will find its momentum as the run continues.
Slung Low return to the Lowry in October with an even larger scale outdoor drama - Beyond The Front Line. And despite being left cold by They Only Come at Night, I still have enough faith in Slung Low to be first in line for their next piece.
Find out more about Slung Low at http://web.me.com/slung.low/Slung_Low/slung_low_home.html.
They Only Come at Night: Resurrection will be at The Lowry until September 12th 2009. Tickets available at www.thelowry.com.
Tags: slung low they only come out at night lowry theatre
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