The "experience" begins as you try to take your seat...cant just walk in, you enter through a wardrobe and wait in a dim side-room thats part of the set.
Atmospherically lit by torchlight and hazy with dry ice, its only later you find out exactly what this room will be used for! Welcome to the depraved world of brothers Darren (Robert Boulter) and Elliot (Ben Whishaw), who are arranging this "fantasy party".
Theyve bought beer and peanuts but be warned this isnt your average eat, drink and be merry kind of social event. The set is a derelict high rise flat with no electricity or hot water, and there's a dead dog on the stairs...and as the audience you are right there in this hell-hole with them waiting for the arrival of Spinx (Fraser Ayres) and the special "Party Guest" (Dominic Hall). A Trip to the Dark Side of Humanity  | | Spinx, looking mean... |
The dialogue is fast, furious and unapologetically obscene.
The whole cast fire words across the stage rather than speaking to each other like they have Tourettes Syndrome and an endless supply of speed.
They are the desperate young survivors of an apocalyptic event, living by their wits and looking out for each other.
You will feel uncomfortable and challenged by their means of survival, but ultimately have to ask just how far you would go yourself? The Persistence of Memory The astonishing young cast make this production work so well. Theres no weak link in any performance.
 | | Darren and Elliot (Ben Whishaw) |
Their physical presence and delivery is so powerful that it is truly frightening. Living in a disintegrated society theyve engineered new methods of survival.
Family histories have become distorted, memories are recited like stories and fantastic hallucinogenic butterflies are the drug of choice. Screaming and shouting, the actors attack their parts as well as each other.
But moments of intimacy are then just so much more compelling.
Sexual boundaries have been blurred, and morality blown out of the window. Their brutality to outsiders is extreme, but theyve forged iron clad tenderness to each other. Party Animals  | | Naz (Shane Zaza) |
Performed in one act of over two hours the pace never lets up. Youre a guest at the party from hell.
The script delivers gruesome descriptions complete in gory detail but thankfully you dont actually have to witness the horrors.
However you will wriggle in your seat right up until the final fade to black. Playwright Philip Ridley doesnt pull punches in any of his works but in Mercury Fur he really is pushing the boundaries of what people will accept in modern physical theatre.
If you want a modern dramatic experience then go to see this new production but dont expect an easy ride...and you may have nightmares!
| DATE: | Thu 10th - Sat 26th Feb 2005 | | EVENT: | Mercury Fur | | VENUE: | Drum Theatre, Plymouth | | TIME: | 7.45pm | | TICKETS: | £10 | | BOX OFFICE: | 01752 267222 |
| 
A tense journey leaving you exhausted and uncomfortable - Laura and Glenn from Plymouth
