After a guitar cover of an American classic, the scene is set; three Italians presenting to a judge in a court room, their manner bizarre, their wrongdoings unknown.
This is their story, the story of a ramshackle journey across the United States. From leaving Italy to seek their fortune, to their mysterious hunt for a man named “George Smith”. Or "Smith George" and the nonspecific crime of which they stand accused.
Problem is, just as the characters seemed confused about who to blame for the act which lead to their legal difficulties, the audience is equally confused at times by the characters themselves.
Each of the trio is supposed to be defined by very distinct traits; one with a penchant for physics, one for music, one for women. In fact, this isn't entirely clear from the performance; it seemed they were all keen on guitar-playing and bickering (although admittedly one was slightly keener on Elvis Presley than the others). And as the characters were not as distinctive as intended, the reason for some gimmicky and repetitive jokes - which, at times, felt awkward amongst heartfelt speeches about their innocence and memories of his family members back in Italy - was lost and the humour became unclear.
However, though Elsewhere may suffer from a lack of focus I found it wasn't hugely problematic. In a hectic way, the play was thoroughly entertainingand the energy of the actors and their music was contagious in the intimate and unfussy venue. The warmth of their performance drew the audience in and, in contrast to the chaos of the script, their use of space was brilliantly precise.
With a twist at the end to wrap things up in an unexpected way, I was left feeling satisfied, if confused, by what they had been witness to.
