I… er… Me – Traverse Theatre

Dominic Corr

May 30

Directed and Script by Elien van den Hoek

Musical Composition and Performed by Martin Franke

Produced by Het Houten Huis & Nordland Visual Theatre in collaboration with Tryater

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Work, eat, work, sleep, repeat, rinse, regret.

The gradual breaking down of the archaic nine-to-five structure and demoralising devaluation of time versus work is fast becoming one of the most hotly contested and discussed discourses – and introducing the discussion to younger minds is a necessity if things are ever going to change.

In Het Houten Huis' I… er… Me, one man's daily routine is commanded by the beck and call of his wristwatch that chirps when an activity or action needs to be completed. The idea of doing this outside of the shrieking timeframe? Madness. When it rings for worktime, he works - for bedtime? He sleeps. The anxieties of not succeeding in following this imposed schedule causes many of us to make mountains out of molehills, or in this gentleman's case, make whales out of goldfish.

Very often our most significant enemy is ourselves, and Het Houten Huis's production aims to show children (and those adults who learn the lesson late in life) to value the things which generate genuine mirth in our lives and the overblown worries and frustrations in our head are often relatively small when broken down. Take time out and enjoy the simple things in life: feeding your fish, going for a swim, or just breathing and soaking in the time spent with yourself.

The entire set is constructed and placed within the Traverse Theatre space, an enormous contraption which houses the entirety of this one man's house – each room evolving and emerging as panels and furniture vanish or pop into existence. And the real brilliance? As the whole set rotates, momentum is carried over marvellously, utilised for practical storytelling and symbolic reality-bending hallucinations. Het Houten Huis' set construction is superb, tightly streamlined to flow from room to room with quick succession. More though, drop-down lights, panels, and door frames allow audiences to never see the seams of it all – this is awe-inspiring stage magic at its most alluring, and yet most mundane and every day.

Travelling this revolving spectacle, Martin Franke performs a (sort-of) solo piece as the beleaguered and tired man whose fishy best friend seems to be the only real sense of solace and joy in his daily routine: but his grip upon reality is slipping, exhausted, miserable. It seems 'others' might be hanging around the house to help a little. Timed to perfection, Franke is joined by Daan Hamel and Martijn Chrier, and though they are never seen from the front – if you've ever thought that your past self is attempting to help your future self, I... er... Me takes it to a new level.

Elien van der Hoek's direction maintains a fluid sense of movement throughout the piece – even when I… er… Me takes a breather to allow the dust to settle. With all the trap doors, concealed surprises, and size-altering puppetry, it's a welcome departure from the ensuing chaos. It allows the story to manifest pain in a tangible way for cross-generational audiences. Those in the audience who have worked these jobs recognise the struggles, while younger audiences see something they don't want to be a part of – I… er… Me is solving the issues before they happen and striking a delightfully clever balance in all things (at least not the literal balancing act on stage).

Merging multiple selves into one, the performance nature of I… er… Me is enrapturing throughout, full of aggression, sympathy, and lashings of comedy. It's a powerful piece on the influential impact of burnout on our mental health, and for any who have found themselves at odds with themselves. Time and reality are playthings for van den Hoek, who spins as gripping a psychological adventure as they do a magical and engaging one for all audiences, introducing more internal thoughts and concepts to young, and indeed older audiences, with deft, wit and exceptional stagecraft.

Deft, Wit and Exceptional Stagecraft

I... er... Me runs at the Traverse Theatre until May 30th. Information relating to the show and Het Houten Huis may be obtained here.
Running time - one hour without interval. Suitable for ages 8+
Photo Credit - Moon Saris

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