Theatre: THéâTRe CaCHé

I have always been rather suspicious of interactive theatre performances. They have always seemed a case of Emperor’s New Clothes, embraced by critics jaded by Shakespeare set in a recent war zone and monologues in dingy theatres.From onstage hypnotisms to being accosted by a clown in the street I never left one without feeling anything other than frustrated at missing whatever great truth the experience was supposed to offer.

It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I set off to see a performance by French troop THéâTRe CaCHé that claimed to show that “life is a journey and a journey can veer off course.” The only instruction I was given was to meet a man holding his heart by a Metro station. Said stranger gave me a package wrapped in newspaper and a photo of a girl. Feeling more and more like I had inadvertently walked into a Parisian drug deal, I located the girl in the station. ‘Marie’ asked me to accompany her to their old family home, to meet her friends and to advise her on who she should trust. We walked together for a quarter of an hour until she opened the door of a tiny house and we were presented with a man standing on his head against the wall, screaming into his t-shirt.

For the next forty five minutes these two actors and four others danced, fought, fainted, threw food and thanked me profusely for joining them. With only one audience member, there was no room to feel self-conscious or for the pantomime of ritual humiliation integral to so many Fringe ‘interactive’ shows. As it was, my own emotional investment in the troop surprised me. When asked advice, I found myself merrily extolling my opinion on life, travel, marriage with no hint of irony.

Later, THéâTRe CaCHé founder Gabriella Cserhàti said this was her aim: “we wanted to break down the fourth wall for our audience. With just one non-actor the show constantly evolved for us as well, to complement the audience’s different reactions.” Lead actress Marie added “each time I finished a performance I would be shaking, it felt violent and very moving to have to leave the stranger I had so connected to.” It was turned out to be as moving and thought provoking a piece of theatre I have ever seen.

THéâTRe CaCHé makes no profit, it doesn’t have a website and this run is now over. But if you ever have the chance to wander into a stranger’s home and be embraced by the chaos of other people’s lives, I would highly recommend it.

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