We sent our reviewer James to watch The Last Drop

Queueing at Zoo Playground, the sun is halfway through its partial eclipse and the light outside has an eerie, otherworldly quality to it that, it turns out, will be great preparation for the experience that is to follow as we enter into the world of The Last Drop.

I primarily have two things to say about this work. 1) I adored it. 2) Talking about why without giving away any spoilers is going to be extremely tricky. Let’s see what happens.

As we settle into our seats, the stage is awash with an unsettling green light as if underwater and there is an incessant drip, drip, drip from somewhere undetermined. The set is sparse, just a wall and a door. Two women are standing. The older one to one side dressed as an old maid from an unspecified time in the past; the younger one in the middle in green velvet of faded elegance. A man lies face down on the floor in the doorway – it is unclear if he is dead or alive. A young man in contemporary clothing enters and talks about time and water. He leaves and the dripping awakens the characters on stage. They discover a stain on the ceiling and so the curious, darkly comic nightmare begins.

There are shades of Beckett crossed with Brazilian telenovela and perhaps a little of the aesthetic of early Hollywood monster movies (although there is apparently no monster here). The play is by turns comic and sinister and gives the impression of a timeless fable written in the near future. The acting is superb, playing it straight despite the apparent absurdity at times. All aspects of production equally match this excellence, from the lighting and sound design, to costume, to direction, and of course to the exquisite writing.

Talking explicitly about themes will stray too far into spoiler territory, I fear, but suffice to say that they are resonant and urgent. Like all the best work in this genre, the absurdity belies the power of the questions the piece is asking.

From a practical point of view, the entire production is in Portuguese, but the English subtitles are beautifully crafted into the design of the set itself.

I am aware that this play will not be everybody’s cup of tea, but for folks that enjoy their theatre beautifully crafted, slightly off the wall, and not always entirely simple to understand, you will love it. And for folk who are really not sure that’s for them, I would strongly encourage you to give it a go. You may be surprised.

The Last Drop is Fringe theatre at the top of its game, and I am incredibly excited to find out what this team will be up to in the future.

Rating: ***** 5 stars

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