Anne Washburn’s The Internationalist is an inscrutable, allegoric comedy about Americans abroad, and how they find themselves consumed by alienation, bemusement and unease when obliged to work, negotiate and play in non-English speaking countries.
Natalie Abrahami’s exquisite, stylised production, with silhouetted figures in frozen tableaux on a stage distinguished by its translucent flooring, luminous back-panelling and rows of box shelves, reflects the fastidious formality of this imaginary European country. Here, office politics sound discreetly cut-throat.
Elliot Cowan makes a fine Lowell, a perplexed American plunged into this alien world, whose manners, girls and alcohol leave him confused. And the actors, who play the foreigners, intermittently speak Washburn’s invented, nonsense language with amazing aplomb.
The Internationalist, until 3 May (020 7229 0706)
The Internationalist
Gate Theatre
Pembridge Road (above the Prince Albert Pub), Notting Hill, W11 3HQ
