MEDIATHEK

// DE //

Es ist Sommer und der jährliche Wassersparwettbewerb in Cracker Valley ist voll im Gange. Eine Gruppe fanatischer Nachbarn hat sich fest entschlossen zu gewinnen, doch die vereinbarten Wassersparmaßnahmen werden von ihrem stillen Nachbarn Ben aus der Fuge geworfen. Ben kann nicht ohne seine langdauernden Bäder leben, in denen er, in seine fantasien abtaucht, um lisa zu begegnen. Der wasserverbrauch steigt und ben wird zu einem hindernis, das es auszuschalten gilt. (Quelle: Th.zerbr. Fenster)



// EN //

A sweltering black box space seems an appropriately agonising venue for Drip, a darkly comic piece based around a water conservation contest. However, Attic People, under the direction of Lucinka Eisler, forego the limits of the imagination offering an experience nowhere near as excruciating as that of the cartoonish characters. Tenants within an apartment block – lively caricatures with exaggerated physical attributes – eagerly await the opportunity to compete in the ‘Annual Cracker Valley Water Conservation Contest’. The challenge: to use less water than the neighbours and win, at all costs.

Unassuming Ben has a secret yearning for his landlord’s niece, Lise, who changes his life. He daydreams about a world through the plughole, risking the neighbours lead in the competition by taking regular baths and drifting off to idyllic aquatic life.

A table and a recurring soundtrack are used to great effect in this slick production. With well-observed comedic flare, all aspects of life in the apartments without water can be viewed. A chorus imitate the sounds of creaking plumbing and the cast employ Lecoq-inspired movement to convey the architecture of the building – taking rides in the elevator, sliding down the trash chute, walking up and down the stairs.

The energy escalates as the neighbours get wise to Ben’s secret soaks and get militant, resulting in a tragedy. The prying neighbours, including a hunched homicidal granny from the Deep South, and a frizzy-haired woman with a large ass and a fondness for ‘Salty Snacks’, turn on Ben in their bid to win the competition.

This is a consummate ensemble of performers who utilise traditional chorus to fill the space with an almost limitless variety of vocal effects and visual imagery, telling an original tale with eccentric charm.


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