REVIEW: THE LIFT at The Lion & Unicorn 17 – 21 September 2024

"Sometimes we think we're in control when we're not." ★ 

"The Lift" had the potential to be a captivating, surreal exploration of the human need for stories, connection and purpose. Unfortunately, it falls short of its potential, becoming bogged down in repetitious dialogue, meandering themes and a lack of any clear plot.

The central premise is that a group of people become trapped in a lift together, in some unknown realm with no sense of time and space, some have no memory of who they are, whilst others seem to have lived in this realm all their lives.

The narrative jumps from one disjointed idea to the next, with no real cohesion. A particularly moving moment, when a character called The Engineer related a childhood story about being bullied and taunted for being gay, hinted at a deeper message, but then quickly descended back to incoherency.

While the cast of eight were dedicated and invested in their characters, most were underutilized and seemed surplus to requirement.

The last fifteen minutes, which involved two characters searching under the audience's seats as if they were archaeologists in the future, ended peculiarly when they discovered a baby and a hamster. This epilogue seemed unnecessary and could have been replaced with stronger, more focused scenes, to create a more engaging 90 minutes of experimental theatre.

The production's aesthetic was impressive, with a clever blend of multimedia elements, which included slides projected onto the background, a disco ball lighting effect, voice over and elevator muzak. However, the plot and character development needed more attention to fully realize the show's potential.

WRITTEN BY: Piero Grandinetti

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Piero Grandinetti

OTHER CREATIVES: Venus Raven - Sound & Lighting technician. Piero Grandinetti - Sound Design James Beschizza - Actor

Athena Maria - Actor, Jonathan Kernan - Actor, Valerie Baart - Actor, Michael Jempeji - Actor, Penny Klein - Actor, Lynn Grandinetti - Ballroom, Latin Dancer & Actor, Piero Grandinetti - Actor & Clown, Malcom - a figment