Bullying, torture and manipulation on stage at the Blue Elephant Theatre that once again lives up to expectations. Angela Corrias meets the director Sebastian Rex.
Scene from Toy Boy. Photo by Tina Engstrom
In the double-bill Toy Boy and Living With…, writer and director Sebastian Rex deals with the controversial issues of bullying, manipulation and human pain. And he does that his own way, showing “violence and games, as a way of creating tension and evoking ideas more strongly,” he says. “I think that bullying is not so much a topic in my plays, but more of a tool.”
In the first play of the evening, Toy Boy, seven young people relate to each other showing their weaknesses through the different relationships they have with their toy boy, symbolically named Toby, played by the talented Ben Kettner. And it’s precisely through Toby, being used and abused by the group members, that they all desperately try to find their place and role in the community, showing their fear to define themselves. Not even when Toby happens to be the only one to have found honest and mutual feelings in his relationship with Ann, versatile actress Elizabeth Pinnock, will he find peace, as his destiny is mercilessly bound to the rest of the group.
Elizabeth Pinnock in Living With.... Photo by Tina Engstrom
The second play sees O (magnetic Ido Gonen) starting his new life and moving in with three other young people. “In Living With… I feel that the flatmates are symbolic representations of various addictions” says Sebastian, “whether be it smoking, drinking, sex, eating or any other form of indulgence.” Their different personalities and idiosyncrasies clash with one another and reflect the multi-faceted reality of human existence.
In a society where illusions often replace the essence of the human being, Toy Boy and Living With… are a challenge – they are down to earth, nitty-gritty reality. These two plays won’t make you dream of a “wonderland,” they will make us think and feel uncomfortable with emotions we try to forget.
Behind these plays is Acting Like Mad, young London-based company that wants to go beyond the general perception of theatre, challenging and testing its spectators through dramatic writing and controversial acting. The artists involved in the company’s projects come from different countries, enriching each other with diverse backgrounds and techniques.
For more information about the company and their future projects you can email them directly at actinglikemad@gmail.com.
The plays are on until November 29th at the Blue Elephant Theatre,
Tel. 020 7701 0100
