Review: Feral at Wimbledon Studio (From Wimbledon Guardian)

Review: Feral at Wimbledon Studio

10:44am Wednesday 14th October 2009 in Freetime By Claire Fox

Feral, a play about a young man with Asperger's currently playing at Wimbledon Studio, is another success for production company Sketty.

It is only their second production following on from their first, highly-accalimed offering, Imogen, about a man struggling to come to terms with the death of his daughter.

Feral tells the story of Matthew, played by Alex Clarke, who finds himself isolated by his condition, finding it difficult to interact socially and he longs to escape into the world of a cat.

Nothing is wasted in this simple production with the story told on an empty stage with a only a kitchen table and a single light bulb for a set. Matthew's tortured mind is captured by the carefully choreographed movement of a shadow-like figure who leaps on to and manipulates his body.

His longing to transform himself into a cat is beautifully conveyed by a puppeteer, using only a cat's paw on one arm and a cat's head on the other.

We see Matthew slowly giving in to the transformation as he takes control of more and more of the puppet.

His social difficulties are best captured through his interaction with Sebastian, played by Dani Machancoses and we watch as the two try to learn to spend time together, with both touching and funny results.

The production's understatement and the strong performances by both men ensure that this is a story that never becomes far-fetched. It is a powerfully simple tale of isolation and human longing for escape. Feral, Wimbledon Studio, The Broadway, October 14 to 24, 7.45pm, Saturday matinees 3pm. Call 0844 871 7627 or visit ambassadortickets.com.