Monster of the Deep 3D
Claudia O'Doherty
3 April 2010
Melbourne Town Hall
From it's pre-show distraction card to the most awesome of all awesome virtual technologies, Monster of the Deep 3D spits on any whizzbang IMAX film.
Claudia O'Doherty is the only surviving inhabitant of Aquaplex, a top-secret,underwater complex built from a mix of 70s paranoia and international cooperation. A child of a brainiac and a hunk, she was born in this pressurised world and didn't see land until an unfortunate explosion.
Like any isolated cultish civilisation, Aquaplex developed it's own social customs that have left Claudia slightly unable to adjust to the strangeness of sharing a land word with billions, but she's determined to share her world with the curious folk who come to her presentation.
Her low-tech presentation is as cute as a kitten, as bitter-sweet as a dark chocolate rabbit and as fun as playing with a kitten after eating all of your Easter chocolate in one sitting and washing it down with a litre of red cordial. It's also one of the most original character-pieces I've seen this festival.
O'Doherty plays Claudia's innocence so well that it's almost too easy to forget that she's a character and it doesn't take long to start loving her flip charts and home made models. Many an audience member commented on the effort it took to make her props, but this would pale compared to the time it took to craft the script. Claudia may be naive, but O'Doherty has crafted a script full of surprises, ironies and unforgettable stories that gently reveal their complexities and leave you wanting more.
I think this show is gorgeous, but not all reviewers have agreed and I can see why some don't like it. It's a gentle character piece that forces your brain to join in the fun and fill in some of the blank spaces. If you know this isn't your kind of show, see something that is - or maybe take a risk and give it a go anyway.
This review appears on AussieTheatre.com.
