Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen ‘Audience’ yet, and do wish to see it, don’t read my review until after the performance.
Sometimes when I don’t know what to think about a show, the best thing to do is go to the toilets and listen to what strangers have to say; just to reassure myself that ‘I’m not the only one’ with a particular viewpoint. Audience at the Soho Theatre will take you by surprise; it’s a powerful show; shocking; provocative; and emotionally involving.
As a conventional art and theatre goer, it is safe to say that I prefer to be part of the audience rather than be included in the performance. However, that’s exactly what the talented, international Ontroerend Goed theatre company does and with little forewarning. Making its London premier at the Soho Theatre, having sold-out the Edinburgh season and coming off their European tour, this theatre group is dangerously talented and convincingly cutting.
The performance begins in a relaxed mood. One cast member stands against a blank backdrop and reiterates the polite rules and guidelines of being in the audience: the simple and obvious ‘no cameras, no mobiles, wait until the break to leave the auditorium’. But then, just as the audience begins to settle down, a camera is turned onto us and the audience becomes the show.
‘Audience’ explores crowd mentality and pushes several boundaries on what it feels like to be an individual. Our possessions are taken and presented on stage without permission, we are filmed and zoomed in on, singled out and in one case victimised and insulted. And, after all this, we are asked to stand, dance and even chant as a group. Everyone is provoked, made to feel uncomfortable, and pulled onto an unexpected emotional rollercoaster.
The show uses simple tools to instil such reactions. A single cameraman points his camera towards the audience and projects his masterpiece on a screen for all to see; we watch a video playing MTV tunes; are forced to interview when a cast member sits next to us; and are required to follow clips from the rise to power of the Nazis in a short documentary.
After the show, I asked the most controversial character “What’s the worst reaction you have received from the audience?” His response was “I got a pint thrown at me by a scary big guy in the third row”. I’m not surprised. When the show ends and we are welcomed back to reality, I do feel slightly remorseful for the cast. They have succeeded in winning disgust and dismay from the audience. Quite the opposite of the feelings that most shows hope to leave with the audience when the curtains close.
In the end, I looked around and saw the audience’s faces. Everybody was uncomfortable and disconcerted, and I realised that the cast had succeeded. Despite how uneasy I was during the entire performance, I left the theatre with a genuine feeling of shock. It is a hugely involving and affecting performance, where the exchanges between the audience and performers can be abusive and all parties do take a beating.
Each show varies depending on the audience reaction but the underlining purpose is to examine individual responsibility within a crowd. For this alone, the cast deserves credit and a round of applause, even if we don’t agree with what they have to say. As I walk out of the theatre and onto the streets of Soho, I am forced to address the powerful ideas and impulses that drive group-mentality. All audience members are forced to answer the personal question: Am I strong enough to stand out against the crowd? If you haven’t seen the show yet, this is your chance to find out where you stand.
The show runs from Tuesday 6 Dec 2011 – Saturday 7 Jan 2012, 7.30pm, tickets £10 – £20. The show is suitable for audience members aged 16 and older. £10 tickets available for ages 25 and under (limited availability) by calling the box office on 020 7478 0100.