MAZE

MAZE is a bit of a puzzle. Its retelling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur has so much potential to offer in its individual elements of striking movement, interesting lighting and engaging sound work. However, in its ambition to be a work with "strong visuals, a killer story and hefty amount of collaboration", on the whole, it gets itself a little lost. Rather than a fresh take on an ancient myth, this script is hampered by the thing it sets out to create – by using everyday Aussie vernacular to tell this tale, it boxes itself in a world of implausible soap opera. When dealing with ancient texts, there's a balancing deal to be struck between players and audience. To bring them to life for a modern audience, the writing must either be whip-sharp and witty – as Van Badham achieved so brilliantly in her sexy and funny The Bull, The Moon & the Coronet of Stars – or use a frame of reference (poetry, fable), so the audience can become immersed in the story.

MAZE presents strong visuals – lighting by designer Ben Mills, and wireless lighting effects by Mark Middleton and Peter Rhoades, along with some nifty Tron-like glow-in-the-dark costuming and stage design by Claire McFadyen as its feature frame, through which to present the ancient tale. There is also some excellent body work courtesy of movement choreographer, Liesel Zink, and an intriguing sound design by Tom Collins. Despite all these pluses, the audience is mysteriously left at arms-length, viewing an art installation rather than a dramatic performance. Simple techniques, such as replacing the recorded voice-over with a live actor narrating direct to the audience, could help to form the missing connection.

Humans are always interested in mythic stories, as proven by revivals of Ovid's Metamorphoses – and that may have been a good starting place to tap into audiences' fascination with monsters, transformation and identity. I can only think that a more poetic script treatment might have worked better to support the other stronger elements. (For example, just replacing the boring word 'abattoir' with 'slaughterhouse' is an obvious edit to help the words achieve more drama.) Writers Bianca Bality and Joe Wilson have taken the basic elements of the story and laid them out like a confusing soap opera plot: the Royal family of Crete meets the wrath of the Gods. So, the young half-man/half-bull Minotaur confronting his mother about his birth father, in an all-Aussie vernacular, can come across as 'Home and Away' on a Grecian holiday. Also, because the production company is called The Naughty Corner, I got the impression that some audience members were expecting a hint of content that was more erotic and less neurotic.

MAZE is surprisingly devoid of drama and there is no fear factor (including in the big transformation at the play's conclusion which sees actor Jeremiah Wray finally don the Minotaur's bull-head mask which is too cartoony to be scary). This seems a missed opportunity. There are some potentially strong elements: I loved the scene where a slaughter is reversed and strip-lit glowing costumes are reconstruced to put the person back together so the scene can be played out to explain the murder. This was great use of the technology and, with the sound work, created an edgy tension. There might also be a chance in future to let sound designer, Tom Collins expand his already strong palette to let music or voice add more to the production.

Performers Claire Argente, Sho Eba, Mark McDonald, Georgia Voice and Jeremiah Wray manage the material. And there is no doubting the worth of the Arts Queensland grant that funded the collaboration and mentorship with Dead Puppet Society's training arm, DPS Academy. It provided work for 17 Queensland creative personnel, mostly emerging artists, mainly QUT and Griffith Uni graduates and practitioners in Brisbane's indie and underground arts scenes. Perhaps director Jess Bunz is too close to the material and the collaborators and needs to work with a voice outside the collective to ensure that the audience's perspective is included. As well as The Naughty Corner Collective, DPS Academy, has given mentorship in visual theatre making to companies including Fizzy Rascals Theatre Company and Minola Theatre. Artists must be allowed to work together, experiment, succeed – and fail – to learn, grow and practise their craft. So, I look forward to seeing the next venture from this collective, building on the elements of lighting, movement and sound that have been exercised so thoroughly in MAZE.

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Kate Lund