Bonecage. Just the name brings up graphic images and scary thoughts when you really think about it. Originally a play created by Geoff Gillham, Bonecage is a story that tackles issues like control, power, gender inequality, consent and mental health. They are heavy topics but ones we can’t shy away from or ignore. Corrina Di Niro has lovingly adapted this piece for the Adelaide Fringe and has put a unique interactive spin on it so the audience has a chance to voice their opinions on these disturbing, often unseen issues.

Bonecage starts pleasantly enough. Two women (Georgia Laity, Suzanne Breeze) have a chat and a drink at the bar until one of their husbands (Robert Donnarumma) arrives on the scene. He seems nice enough but soon decides it’s time to leave and that his wife must leave with him. His mannerisms are inconspicuous, but you can tell something’s not quite right. Cut to act two and one of the heaviest, most disturbing images I’ve witnessed in a Fringe show: a man wheeling a macabre-looking cage out from the back of the smoke-filled stage, the sounds of chains rattling and wheels slowly squeaking reverberating in the audience’s ears. Like something out of a horror film, his wife is locked inside the cage. This is a representation of her mind and her fragile psyche, as we see her having to ask his permission to talk, move and even use the bathroom. When it's time to sleep, a stranger finds the wife inside the cage and offers to help her escape, but she declines. This is where the audience interactivity comes into play as we, the viewing audience, must decide what to say to this victim of domestic abuse. 

I wouldn’t say Bonecage is a fun watch, but it is a powerful statement as to what happens behind closed doors and is often not talked about. The sounds used in this play add a further element to this performance. From the grotesque noise of the man snoring to the brain-rattling ringing of the mobile phone, everything is designed to put the viewer in a state of unease. And, with so much symbolism throughout the one-hour play I was glad that, at the end of this show, there was a Q&A session. The actors, Corrina and the behind-the-scenes team broke down what it was like to put this play together, and explained some of the hidden meanings in the script and on stage. Bonecage is a truly powerful performance and one that will resonate with you long after it’s over!

FOUR STARS ****