FRINGE – The Bunker Trilogy: Agamemnon – The Bunker – 4.5K

Two soldiers take shelter in a bunker, both wounded. The superior officer, Agamemnon (James Marlow), is quite seriously injured. There is no response on the phone line and little choice remains but to wait out the battle, with the company of a little medicinal rum, to either be rescued, captured or die. As he struggles through the pain of his injuries, Agamemnon thinks on his wife, of the life they had, of his subsequent neglect and betrayal, and of her likely response to him coming home.

Writer Jamie Wilkes’ adaptation of this classic tale to fit the story of a World War I soldier is beautifully executed. The relationships between the characters, the emotions explored and the actions taken are both right for the time period and also timeless.

Marlow and Bebe Sanders, as his wife Clytemnestra, have a nice duality as both the sweet young lovers and the older couple, broken by bitterness and war. Despite his impressively tall stature, Hayden Wood is believably hapless as the slightly desperate, bumbling Aegisthus. His good nature is obvious and his yearning almost palpable.

Another atmospheric theatre experience has been crafted by director Jethro Compton, with the assistance of composer Jonny Sims and sound designer Ella Wahlstrom. The scenes slip seamlessly from present to past to future. What is real and what is imagined is often unclear and this creates a delightfully macabre journey for the audience as the story unravels.

Kryztoff Rating: 4.5K

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