Headless Doctor presents us with the absurdist tale of Luma and Taph, two workers who spend everyday collecting four gallons of water and bringing it back. Everything is done with precision and a resignation that begins to shake in the face of violence and promise of revolution. Then a traffic cone appears and changes everything. The two characters complement each other perfectly: the dutiful worker and the one with ideas above and beyond his station. Abie Rahman plays Luma with a trembling terror that shows itself in every twitchy movement and wide-eyed blink her habitual expression of horror never gets boring and she manages to be both comic and pathetic. Miranda Prag as Taph is slightly less successful, at times coming too close to acting the stereotype of the revolutionary one, lacking real depth. Unlike Luma, her character is not developed at all. It is hard to empathise with her smirks and unshakable indifference to the Leader. The moments of violence, executed with a grim satisfaction by the Warden (Sarah de Quidt) are well done. When an entire bottle of rice is poured viciously into Taphs upturned face, the audience are all involved, sitting on the edge of their seats as she gargles, wondering when it will stop. This explains why the production team chose to use rice instead of water in the bottles, but the excess left on stage is an irritating background of white noise for the rest of the performance. This has all the trappings of the absurd: minimalist set, unexplained situation, the unrelenting tedium of everyday life and a menacing, unseen Leader. As a piece of absurdist drama, it really succeeds, getting laughs and leaving the audience a little thoughtful. Miranda Prags script is well written, making it easy for the actors to give natural performances. The script is well supported by the music, which adds to the dark yet comical atmosphere of the entire production.
