Dusk on the River Nile

For the first fifteen minutes of Dusk on the Nile, it’s near impossible to work out what’s going on. We’re whisked from a serious man in Egyptian dress, to a group of dysfunctional actors in black. It’s all very confusing, and there is another of these strange jumps to come later, when the gods Isis and Osiris interrupt a performance of their story in order to tell it properly. Dusk on the Nile is (I think) the story of Isis and Osiris, their marriage, Osiris’ murder and Isis’ journey to find him again. The frame story of actors is unnecessary; it is not returned to at the end, and since Osiris’ story is not completed either, it makes for pretty unsatisfactory viewing.The acting is clunky and awkward; particularly in the scenes between the four actors where emotions feel forced, sudden anger flaring for the sake of some drama, without motive or point. Things get a bit better once Isis and Osiris come on. Ziggy Heath as Osiris brings some strength to his performance, instead of empty posturing, while Catherine Bennett as Isis comes close to real emotion.The use of lighting and sound to create different settings is good, especially in a night-time scene of crossing rivers. A falling flat was dealt with swiftly and professionally. The scenes involving ‘seductive’ dancing are cringe-worthy, though that’s not to say they aren’t atmospheric. Who knew the ancient Egyptians drank Californian white wine?This strange combination of the ancient and the new is mirrored in the writing. The language at times strains towards the poetic, and the actors show they are aware of this through ponderous voices and vaguely spiritual expressions. Between arcane language and storytelling, a forceful expletive will suddenly erupt. If they’re really angry, they might use two. Seth, Osiris’ brooding, murderous brother, calls his goddess assistant a bimbo: Osiris uses more ‘f****’ in one sentence than is grammatically possible. This use of language is totally jarring, and replaces any real effort to find a way of expressing strong and violent emotion. This is an hour of your life you will never get back, at dusk or any other time of day.