Just Out of Reach

The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble can't do it all, but they can do a lot. Making their Fringe début, the group have produced a show of remarkable versatility that highlights their extraordinary individual talents. Just Out of Reach is an aural and a visual delight. Incorporating mime, live score, dance and comedy, it as an ambitious performance that, at times, both challenges and enthrals its audience.

An original piece co-written by Kevin Noe and Kieran MacMillan, the play is set in the underworld of Greek mythology. Tantalus, Narcissus and Sisyphus have been cast into the world of the Gods for their misdemeanours, and face an eternal life of performing the most mind-numbing tasks as punishment.

The Gods, who are played by the ensemble's musicians, take pity on the three and offer them each the chance to take their own life. In the true spirit of Albert Camus, all three reject, much to the Gods' bemusement. “We are here to offer you the chance between life and death” asks one. “You don't have to be a God to choose life or death, you just have to be alive” replies an incredulous Tantalus.

This is an elaborate work that may not be to everyone's tastes, but even if your existential and classics knowledge is zero, the beauty of the music performed here and the sheer quality of the individual performances is utterly convincing. If you want a show that is both strikingly original and genuinely entertaining, then you could do much worse than Just Out of Reach.