From the darkness of an unlit stage, two strangers meet, each with a chair and what appears to be the same task to complete: place the chair, then leave. Their encounter disrupts their awareness of ‘self’ and ‘purpose’ and propels them headfirst into an exhilarating discourse of understandings and misunderstandings.

In this clever two-man show, the Key City Theatre audience is brought into an abstract space of light and sound, where two Jameses — James (Aaron Malkin) and his mirror reflection Jamesy (Alastair Knowles) explore the paradox of identity.

It is internal, yet exists at the point where parallel lives converge, and the concept of something outside oneself is revealed.  James and Jamesy are like two Petit Princes on their dark planet, unaware of their environment, unaware of each other and unaware of how lonely they are until they meet.  That moment turns on the lights, both literally and figuratively.

Award winning comedy duo Malkin and Knowles play out this exercise in discovery through mime, dialogue and improvisation.  The performance stands on its firmest ground during the non-verbal, more physical clowning scenes and the those that take place entirely in the dark.  There is something oddly moving about listening to dialogue in pitch blackness.  You lose your compass very quickly, compelled to focus intently, as you are now dealing not just with ‘us and them’ but with ‘here and there.’

Malkin as James remains more abstract while Knowles as Jamesy displays a more youthful character. Malkin is upright; Knowles loose limbed and more outwardly emotional, the kid brother to the more intellectual older sibling.  They play off each other easily, generous and unhurried in their gesture and working to stay in the moment.

Thought provoking and funny, James & Jamesy: In the Dark challenges us not just to contemplate but to respond.  Their questions feel organic, as if they bubbled up from within us.  The lamps in our heads switch on.  Thus, the show is a creation of discovery and the discovery of creation, and well worth a look.

With masterful physicality and quick-witted wordplay, James & Jamesy conjure answers to the age-old questions ‘Who are we?’ and ‘Why are we here?’ The result is laugh-out-loud hilarious and surprisingly illuminating

People often speak of the magic of theatre’, but this is truly magical…This is comedy at its profoundest and most essential. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience In The Dark at Key City Theatre Saturday, March 7.

Tickets are available at the Key City Theatre Box Office and online.

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