Showing @ Traverse Theatre, 9-28 August @ various times
Identity and image is not a new conversation in the theatre, but every so often it’s presented from an alternative angle. Lynda Radley’s cliché-clear Futureproof questions if commodifying our physical selves is a sustainable source of profit and what we give up to achieve it. As a travelling freak show fails to make money, the acts are forced to ‘transform’ themselves from niche to normal as the plot unwinds perceptions of identity and image in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Dominic Hill’s final production for the Traverse maintains a vibrant and eclectic aesthetic. The set, designed by Colin Richmond, is reminiscent of a degraded fairground with bunting draped above the travellers’ caravan; the hub of the action. The characters conflict with yet submit to the demands of their boss, Riley (John Buik), and the sophisticated content of their discussion is intertwined with visual and verbal gags. A glitzy dream sequence, contrasting to the aesthetic of the rest of the piece, captures a grim climax with flippant humour. After the integration of the free-market into their ideology, normal is suddenly the USP; they become more financially secure at the expense of their individuality. It’s like Embarrassing Bodies changing to Perfect Bodies. ‘Unique’ and ‘normal’ are fads; convincing audiences and consumers that we are all individual or all the same simultaneously is what matters. Image is nothing; without a stable market, we’ll never truly be futureproof.
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