Anna Burnside reviews a production with an ‘outstanding cast’.
Investigating the unknown is the substance of science. For the dramatic arts, not so much. They tend to favour some kind of factual starting point before spinning up and away.
Aether, by acclaimed company Theatre Goose, does a bit of both by investigating the compelling pull of the unknown through the eyes of different women.
Physics PhD student Sophie is unsure if she is asking the right questions. Ancient Egyptian mathematician Hypatia is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her belief in education. Sassy Victorian teen Florence has convinced the men with mutton chop moustaches that she can commune with spirits, and magician Adelaide catches bullets with her bare hands.
The outstanding cast of four interweaves their stories with nothing more than a curtain, a brilliant lighting tech and an overhead projector.
With many big ideas and small details to fit into an hour, this is an intense show. Writer/director Emma Howlett expects her audience to sit up straight and pay attention. The fact that it’s performed in Summerhall’s Anatomy Lecture Theatre leans into this - there’s even a whiteboard and pen for the audience to join in with a quick astronomy lecture.
If only every science class was like this one.
Aether performs at Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre) at 19:15 until August 25, 2025 (not the 11th or 18th).
Image by Giulia Ferrando.
RSS