Lukasz Twarkowski adaption of the Danish novel The Employees by Olga Ravu is staged in Polish with English subtitles. It explores the interactions between the human and android members aboard a futuristic spaceship and focusses on a series of interviews conducted on the ship’s crew by The Organisation.

With every statement the story opens up. Each actor plays both the human and humanoid version of themselves, looking after a series of alien artifacts. The tensions rise as the crew find themselves becoming strangely attracted to the objects and the humanoids start behaving oddly. Both human and humanoids start to question whether they can go on as before and what is meant by truly living. There is an amusing moment when 4 spotlights suddenly develop self-awareness and start ‘talking’ to each other complaining about their work hours and lazy actors.

This is theatre in the round, or in this case cuboid. In the centre is a dominating structure representing the spaceship with the audience seated on all four sides. The lower level, where much of the action takes place, is partially obscured from the audience and the action is live screened on giant high-level monitors and smaller screens at the entrances to the spaceship.

The audience was encouraged to wander around and experience the production from many different angles. This they did in the beginning but soon realised that there was little to be gained from moving as little that couldn’t be seen on the overhead screens.

The cast are all very talented but especially Robert Wasiewicz who plays 4/B4. His character seems almost subversive as he explores the difference between break time and time off and smoking a cigarette.

Music by Lubomir Grzelak and lighting by Bartosz Nalazek and Svenja Gassen are truly remarkable with music so loud you can feel the floor vibrate and flashing lights creating sensory overload at times. The camera work by Iwo Jablonski and Gloria Grunig capture every element on screen, following the actors as they move through the spaceship.

This is undeniably a visually exciting, immersive experience but at 2hrs and 20 mins is overly long especially as the book is only 136 pages. The last segment in particular feels self-indulgent with long shots of people walking down corridors with disinterested expressions and heavy techno music.

4 stars.

Reviewer Nina Gardner.

The Employees are playing at Southbank centre until 19th January.

Tickets from

https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/lukasz-twarkowski-the-employees/

Photos by Natalia Kabanow

CAST

Maja Pankiewicz  Cadet 12/B12
Roszczuk Sonia Cadet 29/B29
Pawel Smagała Cadet 11/B11
Daniel Dobosz Cadet 19/B19
Dominika Biernat  Cadet 90/B90
Robert Wasiewicz Cadet 4/B4