one4review | On 10, Aug 2022

The action is set on Pyramiden, an abandoned Soviet coal mining settlement on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. A haunting place patrolled by the youthful Slava (Rebecca Wilkie) and the older Sasha (Matthew Zajac), security staff who have the onerous task of guarding this bleak territory.

Through their conversations and arguments, both characters share their disenchantment with how things have turned out for Russia. Sasha rails against the abandonment of the old communist values and their loss of territory and Slava is distraught that the opening up of Russia to Western ideals has not led to an improvement in her financial status. However, both agree that the present leader has done little to improve the health of their country.

This is a very well-acted piece of work. It’s a challenging subject matter and no play could hope to cover the complexities of recent Russian history in an hour. The ending was rather unexpected and completely threw me with its additional layer of meaning. Rebecca and Matthew were both excellent in their parts and the audience thoroughly enjoyed their performances. First thing I did after the performance was Google Pyramiden – It exists!

****

Reviewed by Rona

Summerhall Old Lab

20.45 (1hr)

Until Aug 14th