Look Me in the Eye: Review

A horrific interrogation scene plays out. The stage goes dark.

Look Me in the Eye by Lindsay Price premiered on the 15th of March at ISCT. It was run from Wednesday to Friday – and booked out each night.

This play deals with some heavy themes, with a particular emphasis on control and rebellion in a totalitarian society; with the 5 main characters being teenagers, it looks particularly into the effects on youth.

It opens with Rul (played by Ruby) as she gets ready for the day, fussing over clothes and her appearance – she has to look perfect for the occasion. Vio (played by Max) takes the spotlight after her, amid an interrogation regarding his brother, who apparently disappeared overseas. Next, we have Rea (played by Cara), clearly reluctant, and then Fae (played by Olivia). Fae tells the audience robotically, ‘the observation is a necessary part of my education’. Tor (played by Jemma), in contrast, appears merely inconvenienced. Between the other characters’ preparations, dialogue and goodbyes, Fae repeats, ‘the observation is a necessary part of my education’.

The introduction was brilliant! Each character cutting into each other with shortening lines of dialogue created a sense of urgency – apprehension – before we even knew what ‘the observation’ was.

The play forges a strong sense of foreboding through suspense, set and characters. Guards interrupt at random moments, loud, unidentified sounds resound, and the audience is left to infer the horrors played out by the characters’ reactions. So much is only implied that the audience could not help but look into each interaction and choice as an omen.

The observation, as the audience learns, is an event in which children observe the killing of criminals. The allegations against them are vague. The children must reflect on the ‘success’ of the system between each execution.

The different effects of growing up in such a society are explored in the individual characters.

Fae, the youngest and most nervous, represents subjugation through terror, attempting to remain enthusiastically obedient to the system but driven more through fear than passion.

Fae is eager to follow Rul, a commanding character whose loyalty to the system stems from a more zealous belief. Her mindless devotion and general suspicion, cultivated by the system, alienate her from the others. We see a logical character vehemently deny any evidence that does not support the authority.

As the product of a warped, desensitized society encouraged to accept and entertain people’s suffering, we see an equally disturbing concept in Vio’s character, who takes pleasure in the executions and spouts ambitions of becoming an executioner or ‘deterrent’ himself.

Tor, while a symbol of dissent, is also a product of the system. Even though she is sceptical and questions things, she can never outright say the system is flawed nor wholeheartedly believe in a time when ‘second chances’ were commonplace.

Lastly, Rea represents disillusionment. Of course, it takes the execution of her brother, whom she idealized, to even begin questioning the system, but once her faith begins to crumble, so does she, going from being dependent to recklessly detached since there is no outlet for meaningful change.

While looking at the impacts, the play also outlines the system’s weaknesses. One of the more explicit examples is when the deterrent initially misses a prisoner during an execution – the main cast is flawed – and then the deterrent is hauled away. “Can’t have a deterrent who misses, can they?”

It shows the system isn’t perfect, that the system is human and heavily reliant on keeping up appearances – needing these staged executions, these shows of power to survive.

It is also a warning for our characters, Fae and Rul in particular, as it shows the futility of their show of obedience. A single mistake is all it takes – because the system doesn’t tolerate second chances.

Additionally, none of the characters read the entire execution list, despite their initial insistence to get a look. A small, perhaps unconscious act of rebellion suggests denial or detachment from the occurring events. No matter how vehement the characters seem, they won’t bend to the system’s rules entirely.

One thing that the play highlights are the limits of terror and brainwashing in the face of humanity. We see Rul fail to report Tor after a decade of rebellious comments. We see her fail to report Rea, Rul’s friend, no matter how far she dooms herself by slandering the system. Ultimately, the ever-watching, ever-isolating system fails, even if the ending implies tragedy for the 5 teenagers.

The ending itself is in stark contrast to the beginning. The initial anticipation, excitement, or deference of executions has dissipated. In the end, the characters reluctantly stand forward to watch, all at the mercy of the system – and no different from the fearful prisoners they regarded before.

The production was brilliantly set up and directed. The lighting generated the oppressive atmosphere perfectly, and the sound effects were fantastic. Loud and jarring, whenever they sounded with the entrance of offence officers, it was a stark reminder of the danger surrounding the characters.

The costumes were also well crafted, with both offence officers donning old plague masks, dressed in black, while the other characters’ clothes really complimented their characterisation. For instance, Rul donned a plain, uptight cardigan while Rea and Tor wore more casual clothing, suggesting their more subtle rebellion from the very beginning.

The acting was great, with many opportunities for the actors to shine through evocative dialogue, especially since so much of what the audience inferred of the execution scenes relied on the character’s responses. The cast did a brilliant job of developing the story and making it as meaningful as it was.

Congratulations to the actors as well as the creative team and technical teams! Look Me in the Eye was a resounding success that left much for the audience to take away.

– By Hannah