London is on the brink of a flood, and despite Dani’s greatest efforts, a party seems to be flying in the face of this very real danger
We are in London, some time in the not-so-distant future. We are in the midst of a total climate catastrophe, and the Thames river is about to burst. In a matter of hours, London will be totally flooded. People are evacuating, climbing onto boats, desperately trying to escape to farther, drier land. How long they will survive in the countryside is undisclosed. All that matters at this moment in time is that every single person in London leaves the city.
Dani, surprisingly, has found herself tasked with gathering Londoners and shepherding them onto boats. She stumbles upon a house that seems to be hosting a party. She tries with all her might to call the partygoers from the ground to leave the house and escape onto the boats. She is let into the building, presumed to be desperately trying to join in on the fun as opposed to offering her saviorship. The door buzzes open and she is faced with a decision: leave the bustling festivities and attempt to rescue other, more compliant Londoners, or enter and try to gather from the inside.
Dani enters the apartment and is faced with a miasma of booze, bodies swimming in loud music and flashing lights. She seems to have entered an alternate universe. Within the party she comes across various characters, all representing their own facet of climate denial.
Dani’s Inferno is a brilliant, funny, and intoxicating one-woman production by Charlotte Eyres that deftly explores the complex nuance of the climate crises and the overwhelming number of climate deniers that exist within seemingly liberal, young communities. Each character seems to represent another aspect of the climate-denier argument, exposing all the tricky scrutinies that climate activists are subject to, as well as the ways in which we have been influenced by late-stage capitalism and hyperconsumption. Eyres embodies each character with swift ease, only needing to tweak an accent or a physicality to clearly stipulate which character has our attention. Moments are punctuated with incredibly catchy and well-written songs that elevate the production and provide moments of brevity to an otherwise overwhelming topic. This is supported by Eyres’ vocal talent; melodies seem to soar in her midst, quips appear with delightful side-glances to the audience, and we are otherwise transported to her world by means of her music.
Dani’s Inferno was a delight to watch, and is most certainly a great show catch at this year’s SE Fest.