In a brilliant blend of silly and profound, How To: Break a Chair delivers a clever commentary on how we are all objects in capitalism. Told through the lens of two pieces of furniture, this show is effortlessly impressive. With objects that speak about humans the way that we speak about objects, it domesticates the viewer to become the immobile onlooker of this story.
The dialogue begins with a poetic tone in which we meet Chair and Lamp. As Anja Starkiss and Zoe Garciano move as Chair and Lamp respectively, they reveal a brilliant use of puppetry, the simplicity of this concept is stunning.
How To: Break a Chair. Photography by Phoebe Eames.
Their costumes were blue to match the Chair and yellow like the Lamp, coloured like branding of the Swedish furniture that dons most share houses. This colour palette permeates through the set design in a brilliantly cohesive creation. Every physical detail in this show is not overthought nor undercooked, presented as consistently as a packet of two-minute noodles. That’s not to say it’s a budget production thrown together under desperate circumstances. Rather it’s impressive how one show can do so many things so well without risking excess.
Hints of puppetry extend to the backdrop where black shadows on a white drop sheet cast a placid canvas for the life of these objects to bounce onto. It also serves to give a two-dimensional effect to remind us of the inanimate nature of these relatable characters and the walls they have no choice but to be bound by.
The narrative centres around darker moments of Human’s life as told by their furniture. Chair embraces their needs as Human finds themselves falling asleep in front of the TV more often. Despite Human’s absence in these scenes, their plight is so tangible through their furniture’s reflections. These thoughtful conversations between Lamp and Chair are matched with witty cutaways to wellness tips, late night infomercials, and D-grade movie scenes as artefacts of the mindless consumption that we can so easily find ourselves in. These scenes showcase the brilliance of Matthew Erren’s lighting, casting not even a flicker of doubt as to what they’re trying to portray.
How To: Break a Chair. Photography by Phoebe Eames.
As Chair speaks about moving between houses and storage units throughout Human’s lifetime, it exposes the untold stories of the furniture that has loyally moved with us through life. Even the least sentimental viewers will inevitably find empathy for these items.
Through the combination of design, performance and witty writing, there was never a moment where you wondered what symbolism or inference they were trying to inject into the show. If I wanted to show someone unfamiliar with what theatre is capable of, I would take them to see this.
How To: Break a Chair is on at The Blue Room Theatre from 14-25 October.