Theatre: I Can Breathe Underwater and Fish in the Sea

Two local productions in the Blue Room’s Summer Nights season show that you can fail despite your best intentions, or, maybe, succeed despite yourself.

 







I Can Breathe Underwater  (★ ★)
By Zoe Hollyoak
The Cutting Room Floor
Directed by Scott Corbett
Sound/ DJ Louis Frere-Harvey
Devised and performed by Jess Allen, Ann-Marie Biagioni, Rian Howlett, Jacinta Larcombe and Giuseppe Rotondella
Blue Room
Until January 31

The Cutting Room Floor’s I Can Breathe Underwater is a case in point. The company, the writer Zoe Hollyoak, and cast members have done fine work in their emerging careers, but, somehow, almost nothing gels in this story of tragedy and its consequences.
I’m afraid It all left me breathless, but not in a good way.

Fish in the Sea (★ ★)
By Daniel Buckle, Nick Pages-Oliver and Kathy Shields
Bastard Productions
Directed by Damon Lockwood
Performed by Daniel Buckle, Nick Pages-Oliver and Jessica Van Wyk
Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den
February 4 - 7
  
Don’t be surprised if Fish in the Sea becomes a Fringe hit.
There’s dialogue reminiscent of the worst of those breakfast FM radio boy/boy/girl “teams”, some tepid musical numbers and other excruciating stuff.
There is, however, a nifty performance from the feisty Van Wyk, some typically crafty direction from Damon Lockwood, and you never know your luck in a big city.

Link here to the review in The West Australian