ROBERT CUMBER takes a look at Oscar's World, the latest offering from director Tim McArthur, which comes to Above The Stag on April 6
LOST meets The Royle Family in Oscar's World, a play inspired by the works of Samuel Beckett and set on a desert island where nothing happens.
The new drama by Alex Flori is showing at Victoria's Above The Stag Theatre from April 6, and follows Oscar and his parents, who are trapped on the desert island after their ship runs aground.
But rather than feverishly plotting their escape, the family spend their days sitting on their deckchairs watching the horizon and chatting, much like the Royles, only without the TV and with more sand.
While Oscar's mother sits around guzzling tinned pudding and his father keeps putting things off, he himself dreams of another world.
Director Tim McArthur has already produced a number of shows at the intimate venue, including Blink, featuring the best songs from musicals that flopped in the West End, which is set for a national tour and possibly (irony of ironies) a West End transfer next year.
He described his latest play as a black comedy about how easily our hopes and aspirations can fade away.
"It's about dreams and how sometimes we don't have the courage to follow them or we get stuck in a rut," he said.
"It's about how we put things off because we're scared of change, but there's a lot of comedy in the relationships.
"The island could be anywhere. It could be the city. It's the idea of being stuck wherever you are and falling into an everyday pattern or routine."
The impressive cast includes Steven Serlin, whose West End credits include Grease and Desperately Seeking Susan, as Oscar, and Paul Tate as Nono.
