The Nether (Theatre review)

Watching ‘The Nether’ being performed live did change a lot of what I thought about plays. Being a viewer preferring screen over live shows, this experience was mind-blowing. The play revolves around the core concepts of morality and imaginary make-ups. The hideaway was a very interesting concept and the smooth transition between the investigation room and the hideaway was beyond perfect. Having no narrators, the play visually aided us, richly, to understand the changing settings. It put me in a state of awe when I witnessed the screen-like perfection (usually a product of multiple takes and heavy editing), LIVE, right in front of my eyes. Everything about the play was so on point, including the stage set-ups and the props. The way the actors were so into their characters led to the effective rendering of the tightly built script. The concept was a complicated one and a bit confusing too. It isn’t easily deliverable nor is it easily graspable. But the plot sprung alive in front of our eyes and it was the planned and perfected delivery that resulted in that impactful reach. The script was structured and built in a very revealing yet secretive way. The progression of the play and its switching back and forth between flashbacks and the present, kept the viewers hooked for more, engaging them to the point of no distraction. The characters Doyle and Morris and their gender switch to Iris and Woodnut in the hideaway was very captivating. The little twists throughout the play kept the dramatic element sparking. The details of the rules in the hideaway, the use of the axe and the smell and sensory things that makes the hideaway special were very intricately designed. The emotional and the moral appeal of the play were served justice by the masterful rendition. The idea of the plot is a strange one and is fascinating. The exploration of morality in a built world of fantasy and associating it with the very sensitive idea of harming tender children is epic and is the signature of this play. The strange yet exciting mix of incongruent aspects makes this play an outstanding work of art. The play did quench the aesthetic thirst of the audience while instilling the hunger of searching for an answer for the moral question it leaves them with. Thought provocation was the product of this powerful play and it was rightly achieved through the open ending, leaving the play with no proper closure. The inconclusiveness of the play passed the baton to the audience and intrigued them to explore their moral take on the matter. The play was, on the whole, a great peek into mind plays and psychological distress. It exposed the audience, the psychological realm through scientific advancements. It was a great experience to be a witness to such a skillful artistic display.