Dying in Style

UEA Drama Studio

> UEA Drama Studio

This year, the third-year students at UEA have chosen Polish comedy of the absurd to express their feelings about life, the universe and everything.

In an hour and a half, we get a rapid (although by no means exhaustive) overview of the work of revered playwright Stanislaw Witkiewicz and his more internationally well known compatriot Kantor.

Although there are four main stories, all in the area of fairytale political allegory, the theories of Kantor decree that the evening's entertainment should be 'minced up', so that the narrative is constantly interrupted.

Of course, this makes it hard to relax, as you are never quite sure what will happen next: are they at the beginning, the end, in the middle?

Are they dead, or about to die, is the end a foregone conclusion, or was there a choice about it? Whose choice was it? Why?

All these questions race through the mind, as the hugely committed ensemble pound, leap and crawl their way across a series of shelving platforms

If you're searching for a through line, a strong one would probably be the disruption of tyranny and oppression by funny and anarchic means.

And perhaps this is hardly a surprising theme, given the department's recent threat of closure.

Lighting is simple, and colour effects bold, just as the acting is uncompromising and expressionist.

Theatre to put power back in the hands of the actors.