Modest proposals have staged an atmospheric and mildly disturbing premiere of this surreal Gunter Grass play. Six people are stranded on various levels of a house, and its raining. Soon they could be engulfed totally in a flood. The father figure is called Noah, but thence any similarity with the biblical tale ends, the only animals in evidence being the talking rats who provide a sardonic commentary on the pathetic humans attempts to deal, or rather not deal, with impending disaster.
The damp, vaulted Victorian arches of this venue are perfect for this piece, though it was hard to hear early on when the music echoed in the acoustic. The direction (by Allegra Galvin) is slick and the acting was universally excellent and truthful (Im afraid a cast list was unavailable at the venue or the Underbelly Press Office).
If youre a fan of Gunter Grasss extraordinary poetic and surreal imagination I suspect youll love this, though it wont be every ones cup of tea.
