Tank, photograph by Alice Michie.
TANK starts off as a nice little 4 hander, almost the perfect show to tour schools and enlighten young minds about the importance of teamwork, confidence, trust, sharing and the ever present issue of bullying… but fishtails in a surprisingly different direction with little warning.
Tank is like a mid-year fringe show, reminding us audience members about the importance of experimentation and the exploration of different thought processes and viewpoints, but I can’t help wondering who it is specifically directed at and the main message that is meant to be taken away.
Three fish swim peacefully in an aquarium. The coral is bright but life is dull. When a fourth fish is introduced into the tank their status quo is confronted and life begins to take a turn for the worse. The temperature rises, food is scarce, and a fight for survival begins. Primitive instincts are bought to the fore as the world they know collapses around them.
Cleaner fish Joe, Mamma/Boss Gil, pampered Dom and the precocious troublemaking newbie Finn, are great characters and all the actors do a really great job, but I am still confused about its porpoise – although maybe this is the pure definition of art – as it has made me think and wonder and converse and laugh and ponder, so in a sense has me hooked.
Daley Kings script is the hero of the show, and although it flounders on occasion, is a wonderful piece of satire full of quick witted responses, puns and buckets of attitude. Sara Chirichillis set is the perfect clichéd translation of a literal fish tank that has to be enlarged to encase humans, though the script and fervour of the show would easily allow for more lively costumes.
TANK is a cautionary tale; a reflection of our relationship with the environment and each other. Adapt or die, it’s a fish – eat – fish world out there and one of them has got to go.
Produced and presented by CHAOS ensemble, an eclectic group of local artists who aim to create unpredictable work, I’ll stop carping on now.
One thing’s for certain, this company’s got sole.
Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
TANK
Writer & Director: Daley King // Producer: Natalie Di Risio // Featuring: Nick Maclaine, Izzy McDonald, Geordie Crawley, Tristan McInnes // Lighting Designer: Scott McArdle // Set Designer: Sara Chirichilli // Stage Manager: Georgia Smith
11–29 October
Featuring: Nick Maclaine, Izzy McDonald, Geordie Crawley and Tristan McInnes
The Blue Room Theatre
Recommended for ages 16+