Panic

Improbable theatre Company
Unity theatre (24th-28th April 2009)

Reviewed by Alison Cornmell

Panic tells the story of a middle-aged man surrounded by self-help books who is the Great God Pan. Pan - who used to take the form of half man, half goat and would chase nymphs, ravaging then in the forest - now lives alone in a flat in Brixton dreaming of his halcyon days.

Pan is both mythical and magical whist also being sinister and satanic. Are his escapades with nymphs harmless encounters or are they something intrusive? Pan’s history seems to be a mixture of both, which is mirrored by the play.

Pan (played by Phelim McDermott) is joined on the brown paper stage set by Angela Clerkin, Lucy Foster and Matilda Leyser, who also later emerge as incarnations of the Great God Pan.

Via monologues, aerialism, sinister paper bags and Benny Hill-style chase scenes, Panic tells an unusual, frightening and humorous tale.

Although enigmatic (code for I’m not totally sure what it was about!), Panic was an entertaining and genuinely funny show, and Improbable were a joy to see in their element.

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