Live Performance Review: Vanishing Point: Wonderland (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2012), Wednesday 29.08.2012 19:30 Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh 

This was in the loosest possible terms taking its premise base from 'Alice in Wonderland'. There is once you see the central character in a dress that is Alice in style, beyond this, I could see no connection to speak of.

The plot concerned the production and consumption of pornography, and in relation to this; who is victim/abused, perpetrator/abuser? Is any character involved abused? Is everyone involved fulfilling a role for themselves and or others? It being treated roughly ever enjoyable and if so on what basis? How does someone tell if it is enjoyed or not?

It also tackles; How being involved with pornography as maker or viewer seeps into other aspects of your life including affecting your emotional approach to situations. How the viewer can be seen as complicit in regard to how those involved in the making of pornography are treated. How being involved in this as producer or consumer is something that tends to be kept secret within peoples lives and then leads to those people using 'masks' in regard to this in their every day lives. How people you know can have a problem generated by pornography, though the chances are you will not get to know about it.  

I would say the play is well performed, set and let, though it is not a comfortable watch. I noted several people leaving during the performance, and wondered whether they misunderstood what it was about when coming, or if it was just too much. It reached a point where all feels exploitative and not much is known of some characters, though perhaps that is the point and is reflective of what comes to define those involved in both ends of the pornography business. The entire piece felt suitably grim. I did not feel it was overly gratuitous, flesh was shown, though given the context in a minimal way, and given the subject matter it would have been odd if it were not shown. I felt the play presented these issues in a complex and subtle way.

There was some scenes towards the end, where I did not quite understand how they fitted into the rest of what had happened in the narrative presented. In regard to this, I did wonder the play was advertised as 2 Hours, and when getting to the venue, I found out it fitted to just under an hour and a half. I wondered what had been removed and whether this had maybe affected the clarity of the story.

Rating: 08/10.