Presented in fragments—some of them related, some of them not—and exploring issues of mortality and the inherent questions of existence and dreaming, Innocence should have been one of my favourite plays of the year. But it’s not.
Sebastian Sommer, who directed this as part of his MTA in Directing, has an eye for incredibly striking images. One that is shared by his designers. Innocence is a very beautiful thing to look at. As an aesthetic acheivement it is great. It’s just a pity that I spent so much of the two hours (without interval—in terrible seats) thinking about why the soundscape was giving me a headache.
Loher is attempting something quite grand in this script, an emotional cross-section of the world, and while it does fall somewhat short of being as effective as it needs and wants to be, the real failing of this production is the performances. Many of them feel unrehearsed and undirected, emotional dialogue is pitched
wrong and all moments of connection are lost.
Sommer is clearly a talented director. This is not the show to demonstrate that.
Innocence
Wri. Dea Loher
Dir. Sebastian Sommer
At Toi Whakaari