Showing @ Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh until Sat 24 Aug @ 14:00
One of the strands emerging through this year’s Fringe is the trend for experimental sonic-based works. Summerhall is hosting Ecstatic Arc, Tales of Magical Realism, Daydream and Dark Matter, but the Pleasance have also joined the trend with David Rosenberg’s Ring.
Ring is largely based on how people experience sound. Once the audience are seated, they are plunged into perfect darkness with only headphones to dictate the action. The power of the sound experience comes from how individual it feels – it is possible to pinpoint the direction of many of the effects, and each time there is a whisper in the headphones, it really does seem someone is just over your shoulder.
It is all a fascinating and deeply immersive experience, but the weakness lies in the plot. It’s atmospheric and there are some moments of high tension, but it’s as slippery as soap and feels rather garbled. It’s however, an exciting taste of what is becoming possible with sound technology and where that will lead theatre in the future.
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