A woman is wandering around with a garden rake sticking out of her head; a man stands barefoot on flaming logs; another woman hammers a wooden peg into the sand - an act that seems to cause her pain.
It causes me pain to write this review. Ground Level is a newish theatre company whose 60-minute offering kicks off an ambitious season at Hoxton Hall. The theme is perception and culture and the gaps between what we think we know about each other and what we actually do. It is an area ripe for exploration, but Ground Level are clearly at the stage where they can talk a good show but not produce one.
There is a terrific quote from Primo Levi in the programme that hints at where they are aiming: "Nothing belongs to us any more; they have taken away out clothes, our shoes, even our hair; if they speak they will not listen to us, and if they listen they will not understand. They will even take away our name." What we see is a white gauzy structure in a sandy landscape where individuals exist in what look like small cells. Is this a prison or a detention camp? For too much of this evening people do things on stage that seem totally impenetrable, and although some of the projected images - fire, water - are pretty enough, they add little to help make sense of the piece.
This is a reminder that companies such as Ground Level need rigorous development and criticism behind closed doors. Otherwise they will remain at ground level.
·Until February 2. Box office: 020-7739 5431.
