Edinburgh Festival, 2009

British Theatre Guide: Five Star Review

Theatrical Paradise Found

Student productions are often amateurish lacklustre things, too rarely redeeming themselves through the sheer youthful energy and enthusiasm of their cast members. This show is a student production, but it is a far cry from the stereotypical norm outlined above. I've seen far worse from professionals in London's West End. This show is neither conventional, nor undemanding, but it is undeniably excellent.

I have one minor gripe, which I'll mention now to get it out of the way: when I caught the performance, the actors often couldn't be heard clearly enough when not radio-miked from where I was sitting, but they did have a lot of background noise from fans to compete against and when the mics worked, there was no problem. Judging by the rest of the production values, if they weren't miked, then it was unlikely to be a technical fault, but an intentional decision, for every aspect of this production is meticulously planned to reflect a central theme.

Quaternary is multi-layered and highly individual. On one level, it's informed by Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost. On another level, it tells the story of four senior school-aged friends on a school trip to explore an Icelandic glacier. The terrain's extreme conditions force them to confront their deepest inner resources - and failings. But the performance worked on yet another level, weaving a story which linked both Milton and the contemporary world of the explorers, but which stood apart from either.