A spicy audience conspiracy
The In The House Festival does not shy away from developing ambitious concepts, and Fourplay is no exception. A partnership with Salt Tasting Room, this 4-part dinner/theatre experience is the first performance I have ever been to where audiences were told to NOT turn off their cell-phones. In fact, as we were ushered from the main floor to the ‘Salt Cellar’, we were given a piece of chalk and told to leave our phone numbers on the wall. I felt like a teenager leaving my number on the bathroom wall – a trace of me shouting out to the universe: “See me! Love me!” I could picture myself at the bar responding to: “Can I have your phone number?” with: “Yes. It’s on the wall for you to use”. I had to laugh.
Once in the cellar, we settled around a long table and watched as two of our fellow “audience members” suddenly became actors playing out their stories under the watchful gaze of a “scientist” whose life work was, apparently, to bring the two characters, Heather and Sean, together.
The scientist explained that his experiments were based on the ‘Hawthorn effect’ a term referring to “the tendency of some people to work harder and perform better when they are participants in an experiment”. This subtle reference to the owner of the Salt Room was delightful and an invitation to each of us to contribute to the evening’s adventure.
Text messages prompted us to interact with the players, feeding them lines, spurring the action onwards. It was fun to feel part of the action: part spy/voyeur part cupid. It was nice to be in on a conspiracy to bring two individuals together in love.
Salt is necessary to life and so is love. Both salt and love can bring out subtle flavors and enrich the experience of any meal. Many fruits, vegetables and herbs are traditionally used in the creation of love potions or as aphrodisiacs. Throughout the play, the scientist brought different foods to Heather and Sean as well as to all of us, seeking the perfect formula with which to spark their chemistry.
The real merit of Fourplay was not in the strength of the acting or the script but rather in the context that allowed for surprising human interactions. I met new friends around the table, the occasional awkward silences forcing us to make small talk and to engage in our own friendly courtships. If you are looking for a light, fun and easy evening with delicious food, Fourplay is sure to be a hit. There are three more evenings of immersive play, during which the fate of Sean and Heather will become clear…