A Review of An Exciting New’s Blue Dragon

We all have people in our lives that we would rather were no longer around, but I am sure that most of us would not have the commitment to board a train in order to witness their deaths. The Blue Dragon, however, is a service that can provide you with exactly that experience – the opportunity to remove someone from your life without being truly culpable for their death. Here we have the premise of Oisin Byrne’s new play, or rather one of the premises… The other being the horrifying truth that occasionally love comes with challenges and pain that cannot truly be reconciled with. Ultimately, it is the story of love and how far one will descend into madness in order to rescue a loved one, and what that rescue can sometimes look like.

Madness, humour and a little bit of mind bending plotting went into the creation of this story. Taking place on a station, we learn about the passengers of The Blue Dragon, a train that will take you and a witness to your death if you choose it. But what is it all for? Certainly not profit or some sense of justice in the world, rather The Driver is attempting to come to terms with the inevitable fact that they will have to kill their sibling The Artist at some point. The latter has descended into pure madness, repeating sentiments and scribbling constantly into a notebook in an attempt to write their masterpiece. Until they have finished they cannot die. Whether this is divine providence or fate remains unclear, we are merely aware that every day The Driver rolls a die that will determine The Artist’s fate and every day the numbers roll against the termination of her life until the project was finished. Thus time passes and still they live on… and on and on. The Blue Dragon service disintegrates, the driver goes slowly mad and eventually both protagonists achieved peace.

The tale was told with a minimal cast, the supporting roles being played by a relay of two actors making very swift costume changes. We see the progression of time and the protagonists’ descent into unhinged madness through the changes in time period as presented by the couples that they interact with. Both Tess Klygis and Lorenzo Allchurch played the array of colourful characters with energetic commitment and enthusiasm, proving that they were both excellent choices for the roles. Alongside the vivacious supporting characters, the two leads were subdued, awkward and more than a little odd. The Driver, played by Leah Aspden, was brooding, observant and ultimately driven insane. Aspden’s characteristic comedic style seeped into the performance with small asides such as the continued encouragement for the passengers to tell their stories as the audience didn’t know them. This breaking of the fourth wall created an awareness not only of those physically watching the play but also the witnesses to the program and all that it would eventually entail. Katie Peachey’s The Artist was equally well portrayed, in a quieter and more subtle way, exploding into momentary episodes. Undoubtedly this was a strong cast through and through.

Being a deep script, this play could have been a quiet exploration of the themes; however, the directors and writer chose to move in a more artsy direction. I have to admit to some confusion about the intervals in which projections of shadow puppets were used. While themes of murder were explored through these depictions, there still seems some ambiguity as to the purpose of them. The projections were depicted upon the white sheet that made up the backdrop of the performance space, providing the offstage actors with the time to change while filling the void. My own confusion aside, the projections felt as though they could be both a part of the story and a wholly independent entity, adding to the mind warping element of the tale and adding some comedic relief to the heart-breaking message.

This is a story about the tragedy of family situations and the troubles that come with loving someone. It is a heavy topic studied perfectly through both serious and comedic means, drawing the audience powerfully into the story and catching them up in the time warp in which the story takes place. While I cannot admit to understanding every artistic choice made throughout the performance, there is no doubt of the strength of the actors and the script. This is a promising new production, which will be continuing its journey in more northern climes and with a slight change in cast. For those venturing to Fringe this year, I wholeheartedly recommend checking this production out! Board the Blue Dragon Train at The Sub-Atomic Room, Just The Tonic Nucleus from 15th to 27th August. But, be warned, it may just mess with your head.