Starving in garrets never did artists any good, but perhaps too much too soon can also detrimental. Theatre O are a talented Jacques Lecoqtrained troupe who sprang to prominence with their first show, Three Dark Tales, at the 2000 Edinburgh festival and were immediately embraced by the Barbican. But while their abilities are undoubted, it feels as if they are still casting around for something meaningful to say.
This latest commission is a case in point: slick and slack; textured yet empty.
This odyssey through family life is easy enough to watch, thanks to engaging (although not always intelligible) performances from Toni Arteaga, Caroline Valdes and Eva Vilamitjana, and a witty soundtrack. But although the company have plenty of opportunities to mime their characters' bathroom habits and eat imaginary spaghetti, they do not tell us enough about their inner lives. Why, for a start, the father so unhappy at home that he volunteers for mission to Mars?
You never feel you know enough about this family to care about their happiness or their dreams and aspirations. Add a confusing and convoluted narrative, and you have a major malfunction for this young company. Time to go back to the drawing board.
· Until May 7. Box office: 0845 120 7500.
