Theatre Review: LOLZ

• Skeleton Project
• stage@Leeds: Fri 25 and Sat 26, 7.30pm
• Alec Clegg Studio
  

Lolz was nothing quite like I’d ever seen before. Created by the Skeleton Project (a contemporary performance group), the show is completely original, complete with a harsh warning of the ever-changing pace of internet information and its effects. Initially, the audience are met with the image  of two men, Allen and Krausauskas: one asleep in a computer chair and the other strewn haphazardly on a floor covered with varying lengths of duct tape. Behind this were two projection screens, one in the centre and the other centre right, playing nostalgic scenes which were integral to the aims of the piece. Intending to convey our universal-reliance on the internet today, the play used various types of multimedia in addition to a varied set of small scenes. These scenes showed the men at work in ‘tech support’, in the present day, and in comedic internet chats complete with comedic Facebook status projections. Combined, it truly illustrated the Skeleton Project’s apathy with the internet’s power in the modern world.

The repetition used proved a point about the monotony of life, and how much of it involves being reliant on a computer. However stronger distinctions between the scenes would have been more helpful in separating the ideas. The most striking part of the performance was that of Krasauskas’ informative, pleading and sometimes hysterical speeches. Krausauskas held the stage as he detailed the historical journey of the human mind and the persecution humans have been submitted to for lack of the understanding of thought. He argues that this has come to be replaced by the internet, thus creating a lack of original thought and a sometimes frightening dependence on ‘the big WWW’. Another point of interest was the use of the duct tape as both Krausauskas and Allen tiptoed across it, eventually resulting in them taping down shortcuts, a metaphor for the ever increasing speed and demand for information as each generation relies more on computers. This piece won’t be to everyone’s taste, but for those frequent visitors of facebook this play is unduly recommended for a reality check.

words: Jasmine Andersson