Pants on Fire Productions place Ovids Metamorphoses in a 1940s world of bombers, wireless, BBC accents and gas masks. The tales, familiar and new, see Io raped in a blackout, Echo re-imagined as a can-do washerwoman, and Icarus in leathers and goggles.Starting with Juno and Jupiter fighting over whether women or men receive the most pleasure from sex, the play goes on to show Jupiters illicit love affairs and the brutal revenge that Juno visits on her rivals. The 40s setting works best when it is used to support the content of the stories; using silent film to portray the Narcissus story, or having air raid sirens replace the Sirens of Theseus journey enhances the drama and comedy; however, the clipped 40s accents the actors force on themselves are unnecessary and often constrain the emotional range of the language. Lucy Eggers original songs in the music-hall tradition are wonderful, and there are a few tunes to really look out for - the heart-beat song at the beginning and Mercurys (Eloise Secker) song - but all too often the cast seem under-rehearsed, and the songs out of their range. Jo Dockery is powerful as a furious, ranting Juno and dominates the stage beside the lesser gods and mortals, while Jonathon Davenport is a lecherous and charismatic Jupiter. Puppetry, music, dance, comedy the production is a bursting and bustling show that tries to be everything. While they dont always achieve the heights they aim for, they come damn close.
