Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
Reviewed by: Katie Borland
Edith Alibec is a Romanian clown who aches to learn how to fill up the dark void inside her. The answer to this, she is sure, can be found within the audience. The Void is an incredibly bizarre experience that combines existential dread, audience participation and deadpan humour to create something truly unique.
Alibec arrives on stage with an alien-like quality. She writhes against the white glow of the cinema screen, wearing a full-length purple Lycra bodysuit. There is something uncanny about her motions, and this surreal feeling lingers throughout the duration of the performance.
The hour is spent with Alibec dancing around the room and asking how audience members fill their voids so that she might learn how to fill her own. Each interaction is a catalyst for a strange, prepared scene in which she oftentimes drags a willing, or slightly unwilling, participant to join her.
It is her interactions with the audience that make the show. Alibec’s improvisation skills are to be admired, as she manages to stay in character with whatever is thrown at her and twist it into something gloriously odd. Some of the best moments of the hour were audience members’ awkward and unsure reactions to her unexpected antics and questions. These moments create a strong connection between the audience and Alibec, while also connecting the audience to one another.
Awkwardness is Alibec’s weapon; she does not shy away from it as others might, but instead intensifies it and revels in moments of slight discomfort. Her energy is impeccable throughout. She combines absurdism with deadpan expressions to hilarious effect. Even if certain jokes didn’t quite land, they all added to the weird and wonderful energy in the room, and so nothing was ever really a miss. The strangeness of Alibec and her set is what made it so charming.
One of the women in the audience was there for the second time, as she wanted to share this show with her companion. I can’t blame her, as I too feel the urge to share this experience with others. I don’t think it is something that can be replicated.
I would encourage everyone to go see The Void for themselves. It is definitely something you haven’t seen before.
