Weird, captivating, confusing, men in white suits and a couple of odd looking hairy creatures dancing around the set. An eclectic mix, coupled with fire guns and smoke, the setting for very visual and thought provoking and unsettling show.
Phantomysteria is set in the amazing Old College Quad, a fantastic setting for an eerie outdoor performance. The show starts as soon as the doors open, men in white suits, spraying the ground and powder strewn, chemically cleaning the edge of a disaster? Chemical spillage? Explosion? The cordon is removed and we all rush forward to the next. Lights, music, a man on fire running around the stage,Verdi’s Dies Irae playing (requiem mass). A dramatic start to the show.
The premise of the show centres around the man in flames. The world has been destroyed, he appears back on stage in tatters, brief case, mobile and a big MAC feature. He is in a world inhabited by two ape like creatures, a funny scene of bemusement and discovers start. The show goes from one crazy moment to another, a shooting, a preacher, a convertible car races onto the set, smoke, guns death. Visually all stunning and we are left wondering where to look next. Great execution from the cast, who must have been exhausted from all the running and acrobatic type and in places purposely clown like performances.
One criticism of the show is that its a little confusing, the introduction on the flyer gives us some indication of the events, but personally I was trying to piece together the different elements, only near the end did I feel it made sense. Perhaps that is the idea, issues are thrust at us, and we are left to interpret as we wish.
Haunting, mesmerising, moving and uncomfortable at times. The show ends with a screen displaying images of war, and famine, only further highlighting the paradoxes of the world in which we live.
4/5 
Michael Bulman
