Writer: Libby Williamson
Director: Lauren Lambert Moore
It’s heartening that so many shows from this year’s VAULT Festival quickly secured transfers, like the queer sci-fi Far Out playing for two days at the Omnibus Theatre. Some of these shows sparkled like diamonds in the seams of the cavernous tunnels underneath Waterloo Station, but in other venues, away from the forgiving festival vibe, these shows can shine less brightly.
Far Out begins like an intergalactic Big Brother as the three astronauts of the Alpine, already deep in space, meet for the first time. An algorithm has decided that they are compatible on the basis that they are all queer. Captain Alma has left her girlfriend on earth; Pilot Jed’s male partner died in the Third Nuclear Rising; and Engineer Ellis is still looking for the right one. They are an odd bunch, for sure, but with light years ahead of them they quickly become friends.
They have volunteered to find a new planet. In exchange for their efforts space company Core Corp is keeping the astronauts’ loved ones safe from famines and pandemics. Once a suitable planet is found, Core Corp will transport their family and friends to this new home. But halfway through the 60-minute play, our intrepid heroes discover that Core Corp may not keep its promises.
This essential plot development comes very late meaning that the earlier scenes where the astronauts get to know each other drag a little. Some of their antics seem childish and only Alma is allowed a narrative arc. It’s implied that Jed and Ellis don’t need to change which seems a little unfair on Alma as it’s not entirely clear why she has to adjust her ways.
The three actors Atlanta Hayward (Alma), Bertie Taylor-Smith (Jed) and Bobby Wilkinson (Ellis) are fully committed and once the story begins in earnest they maintain the excitement. They are helped by Curtis Argent’s fun animated film that plays in the background showing what they can see out of their spaceship’s window. Its naïve and old-fashioned aesthetic fits perfectly with the rest of the show.
But ultimately, there’s something missing from this futuristic adventure. Advertised as a queer drama, perhaps it isn’t queer enough. There is some dancing, but there could easily be more. However, it needs more of an engaging story if it really wants to be far out.
Reviewed on 20 June 2023
