Fringe: The City They Burned Review

9 September 2014 | 3:42 pm | Paul Ransom

It begins with the slightly unnerving girls. It ends – post-apocalypse – with those very same girls. Only now they’re a damn sight more confronting. 

That the Old Testament is rife with rape, genocide and vengeance not only says a lot about the society ‘The Book’ reflects but provides ample fruit for writers wishing to re-contextualise the brutality of it all. Fleur Kilpatrick’s retelling of the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah does much more than simply modernise the tale, stripping it to its ominous core. In a world of absolutist authority, (God over Man, profit over people, father over daughter), how will you survive and what deal must you make when those in control wish to ‘discontinue’ your line?   

The City They Burned is site-specific theatre at its most compelling – gloriously unpredictable, seamlessly negotiated with the audience and brilliantly performed. If Scott Gooding’s Lot is an oily cross between game show host and Federal Treasurer, Jessica Tanner’s Ado lurches from icily sybaritic hostess to post-traumatic mum with powerful effect. However, it’s their sacrificial daughters (Shoshannah Oks and Brianagh Curran) who take the limelight with their splendid portrayals of ritually abused young women.    

Sharp, unflinching and ingeniously directed, here’s proof Attic Erratic ought to be spared the wrath of God.  
4 Stars. 

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Cavern Table Studio to 23 Sep
Part of Melbourne Fringe Festival