Theatre review: Spool
While this charmingly inventive piece of physical theatre is an exploration of the relationship between mind and body, to describe it in such po-faced terms would be doing it a disservice.
Star rating: ***
Venue: Greenside @ Nicolson Square (Venue 209)
Otto Farrant (who played Petya Rostov in BBC’s War And Peace) is the mind that resents being – literally – tethered to the body, played by the Royal Ballet school’s Finn Cooke.
Advertisement
Hide AdStarting with a variation on the classic Marx Brothers mirror gag, Otto and Finn explore their mutually dependent relationship in a series of ingeniously-staged vignettes that keep at least one eye on the humour of the situation. The “sex” scene, as Finn grinds rhythmically away while Otto worries about split condoms, is expertly staged.
Otto gets the majority of the dialogue but Finn’s dancer’s body speaks for itself – jerking almost involuntarily to KC and The Sunshine Band’s Give It Up at one point. There’s an intelligent use of music and some excellent sound design throughout. It may feel like a series of variations on a theme at times but Otto and Finn make a winning duo and you do hope this show marks the beginning of a beautiful friendship rather than being a one-off collaboration.
Until 27 August. Today 8:50pm.