Rift Zone

Well, you can’t fault Night Light Theatre’s ambition. With ‘Rift Zone’, director Rich Rusk and his company have tried to fit the entire history of Iceland, from its mythological beginnings to its socioeconomic reality, into a studio theatre. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have not succeeded. Norse gods, dancing trolls, feuding siblings and American engineers stumble around in a piece that simply puts too much on stage. ‘Rift Zone’ is stunning to look at, but while it’s determinedly about ‘something’ it’s impossible to discern what.

Olaf and Alfa are brother and sister who are pulled into the Rift Zone – a sort of twilight zone – which enables them to see into the future. When Alfa meets Bob, a hydro engineer from Minnesota – go Vikings! – ideas of national identity are opaquely examined as he wins her heart and the contract to mine Iceland’s fertile land. There’s also some stuff with an ancient poet and a frazzled academic.

‘Rift Zone’ could do with a stiff edit and some storyboarding. Still, the cast perform it all with admirable conviction and the production looks and sounds gorgeous. John Biddle’s original live folk score is satisfyingly harmonious without being twee. Rhys Jarman’s design uses bare light bulbs and planks of wood to create a tree that is perfect for storytelling under. The light bulbs flicker and sparkle as capriciously as the northern lights.

Night Light Theatre may have been unable to communicate this nation’s story, but they have certainly brought home some of its epic and eerie beauty.