WHEN Ingram York meets Michael
Billa, he's happy to have found someone to
ease the loneliness after his lover's death.
But Billa has a secret; he's haunted by a
childhood friend, Clinton Deix, who hasn't
aged in 20 years. As York tries to uncover the
truth behind Deix and Billa's conflicting
stories, he is drawn deeper into a skewed
reality that threatens both his sanity and his
safety.
Author Jonathan Carroll's genius is in creating a
world just one degree away from normal, twisting
perceptions and distorting the everyday. Bringing
this vision off the page is a challenging
undertaking, and it's inevitable that something
will be lost in the translation. Ben Moor's
performance cannot be faulted; as a storyteller,
he is superb. What's lacking in this production is
imagination.
There isn't much in the way of staging to bring
Carroll's vision to life; it's more of a dramatic
reading than a play. here are creative touches,
less than successful, such as the barely visible
video images on two small screens. It is Moor's
captivating stage presence that carries
this, and while it's not an altogether successful
adaptation, it does give a glimpse of the sense of
wonder and terror that Carroll's original novella
evokes.
KIRSTY
KNAGGS SCOTSMAN 10TH AUGUST 2004
If a
play can tackle such elusive themes as
destiny, identity and isolation in such an
unconventional way and not fall into a pit of
pretension then it is doing something right.
This very appealing production is made all the
more dynamic through being delivered by a man
armed only with sea shells and an umbrella.
While dealing with homosexuality, murder and
providence could make this heavy and hard
work, the acting ability of Ben Moor brings
these lofty themes right back down to earth,
allowing the audience to become satisfyingly
immersed in great theatre.
This adaptation of Jonathan Carroll's novella
Black Cocktail is a vehicle for Ben Moor's
engaging personal style, his strength
and enthusiasm fused perfectly with
straightforward wit and humour. It brings
together the complexity of supernatural themes
and ideas with honest description and
wonderful storytelling. As the story becomes
increasingly bizarre and removed from its
starting point, the essential ideas are
pertinently probed through the kind of
schoolyard anecdotes you might expect in
stand-up, yet delivered sensitively by this
vulnerable character. The premise is not
altogether original, yet this never
hampers the performance which is utterly
absorbing.
The nature of Black Cocktail is as dark and
unusual as the name suggests, yet big themes
are dealt with in a powerfully understated
way, making them all the more intriguing. Moor
handles his space and his audience as if they
are the normal parameters of conversation and
interaction. Carroll's text provides an
interesting basis, but the real triumph here
is Moor's ability to captivate his
audience, which he does from the very
first word.
FIONA KING - FEST - FRIDAY WEEK 2
I have no idea what to tell you about this
show. I enjoyed it, yes. It was entertaining,
definitely. But what was it about, you ask?
Still not entirely sure. A monologue by Fringe
regular Ben Moor, and based on a novella by
Jonathan Carroll, it's about a paranormal TV
show host, forced to question his own beliefs
when he meets two men who are unavoidably
connected with him. Are they friends, or his
most dangerous enemies? Moor takes on all
three roles, providing them with a subtle,
hypnotic nergy. Slow to start, this is
intense, nail biting, forget-to-breathe
theatre. Visually bare, our attention is
focused completely on the words. Take a
friend; you'll want to talk about it for
weeks afterwards.
tw rating: 4/5
[gs] THREE WEEKS - WEEK 2
