Theatre review: Inflatable Space, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

An amount of imagination is required to fully appreciate this new piece of galactically high-concept physical theatre from Thaddeus Phillips; but then, to the vast majority of the human race, the experience of anything even nearing that of travel in space is something we're going to have to visualise in our mind’s eye anyway.
Inflatable Space, Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)Inflatable Space, Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)
Inflatable Space, Assembly Roxy (Venue 139)

Inflatable Space, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh * * *

For this largely silent two-hander, Phillips at least edges the process along somewhat by providing us with a large, dome-like inflatable which expands upon the floor of the wide stage before us.

This dome is, at various points in the play, the Voyager probe of 1977, which at first sits inert before us, before eventually flipping upon its edge to represent Voyager on its lonely journey through space. The craft, we are shown, contains the fabled Golden Record, which itself contains images of humanity and our culture and ephemera, as well as recordings of music. First announced in a dingy motel, Voyager's journey continues in an ever more elaborate array of movement and projected visuals, while the dome also remains behind to assist with our tentative future steps to our neighbouring bodies, brought to life through shadowplay as our habitats on other planets.

Read More
The best jokes from this year's Fringe
Hide Ad

There's a certain conceptual simplicity at work here, but the execution is faultless, and the sense of wonder and possibility evoked is tangible.

Until 26 August

Related topics: