A stylish and ambitious production, scuppered by its self-image.
Written and directed by LeCoq and RADA trained Tommaso Giacomin, The Uncontainable Nausea of Alec Baldwin is labelled an ‘absurdist, existential examination… marinating in the violence, complicity and paradox of modern life’. The cast of five- James Aldred, Stefanie Bruckner, Mathias Augusted Ambjør, Manuela Pierre, and Bartel Jespers, all having trained at RADA or Le Coq- were commanding, skilled, and engaging performers. The company itself, TG Works, is a highly physical theatre company featuring migrant-led and cross-disciplinary work. In the piece, movement was precise, a beautiful spectacle in a beautiful space. The stage was initially covered in a bright yellow fur carpet, with what seemed to be a huge yellow beanbag which later became an absurdly large, red inflated chair and a single plastic chair hanging from the ceiling. A sign upstage left read ‘Smile, you’re on camera’ and Pierri stood downstage left in front of a computer, ready to handle projections and camera work throughout the piece. It was immediately clear we were in for a confrontational ride.
In the promising opening scene, Alec Baldwin (no, not that one – although he was mentioned), played by Aldred, sits with his back to the audience and speaks into a microphone. Projections show an AI bot giving Alec advice on how to deal with his guilt. This section is humorous, a relatable insight into the current online climate. It is intriguing, we wonder if the performers are talking about Hollywood’s Alec Baldwin, and we wonder where this conversation goes. Instead of exploring further, we are plunged into absurdist dream land. A somewhat clown-esque hoover routine and a massive piñata head later, we don’t know where we are. There is a crazed German woman (Bruckner), a confusing but well-observed caricature of her ‘real’ character, and a lot of Pierri filming the stage space, projected onto the back screen. It felt like too many cooks in the confrontational kitchen. Perhaps more time to linger on the particular points made would have made this a more accessible, engaging piece, but long monologues of relative nonsense and skirting around Baldwin’s problem made for a frustrating middle section. The desire to reflect the overwhelm of life in 2026 is understandable, but in this case comes across as somewhat condescending to its willing audience. An enjoyable choreographed dance break ended this dream sequence, it provided energy and a change of pace to the intentional mess.
We returned throughout to the AI advice, getting closer and closer to finding out what really happened to Alec Baldwin. A series of AI generated scenes played out to describe the events. These were interesting, eerily humorous and skilfully played. Bruckner, Ambjør and Jespers created funny characters and showed the ridiculously literal nature of the scenes with ease. The piece then ended with two monologues, describing the true events and closing out the story. These were necessary, as there had been limited clarity throughout the piece, but they were long and static, perhaps overly wordy. It was an appropriately unsatisfying ending considering the play’s themes. This was indeed a piece that confronted the audience’s complicity in the face of war and violence. It was a shame that this was clouded by an over-ambitious amount of themes and self-indulgently elaborate absurdism.
This show runs at New Diorama Theatre until the 24th March. Tickets here.