72 Hour Survival Guide

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Recommend: 4

BY James Simons July 04, 2008 10:07

Editorial Rating:

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Three Sheets Productions’ 72 Hour Survival Guide employs live action, video, puppetry and coordinated movement to tell the story of six alienated characters quarantined during a virulent bird-flu epidemic. Along with boasting moments of surprising poignancy — thanks in large part to Lara Neumann’s believable depiction of a recluse with an unnatural attachment to her brother — the show also delivers decent laughs. If John Bryans’ paranoid cyber-geek vlogger doesn’t make you LOL, you’re bound to at least NA (Nod Appreciatively). Unfortunately, by ambitiously and unpredictably jumping from the sincere to the silly, 72 Hour Survival Guide fails to cultivate a consistent and convincing voice.

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mark2000 Jul 8, 2008 2:17P

Doesn't work that well - 3 / 5

Just doesn't work that well. Most of the comedy is a forced-laugh. I could have counted the amount of times the crowd laughed out loud. Excellent use of props, sound, and stage. The story lacks excitement, it's not really an engaging story. Might have been better told in a shorter play.

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Ruby T Jul 7, 2008 10:01A

absurd but not silly

Silly? I think the word the reviewer was looking for is absurd, and this play, which I enjoyed immensely, is largely absurdist theatre. It speaks about the isolation and fear that accompany illnesses. Think SARS... think AIDS... think mental illness... public health workers should see this!!!

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unbeliever Jul 4, 2008 9:47P

The little engine that could and did

The play reflected strongly to all those who have had the pleasure to experience a Brechtian performance. The simple act of the actors changing characters in plain sight of the audience gave the sense that there is a different focus beyond the characters. The playwright's took a more radical approach in terms of how the audience was supposed to reflect on the situation, causing confusion, but also intrigue to which was the end note of the performance.