Edison

Locating the historic tussle between inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla in an Orwellian dystopia, this cracked history gets lost in a sea of glitter.

In an alternative past, a determined Tesla (Zoe Feldman) is robotically manipulated by a demonic Edison (Jaz Blain). The fundamentals are rooted in truth as Edison was Tesla’s employer, and history tells of a great feud between them, but this wonky retelling focuses more on its aesthetics than on creating coherent content.

The controlling environment of Edison’s factory, where every step is overseen and every deviation noted, is a check list of traditional dystopian tropes. Surreal elements are randomly chucked in to disrupt this, but as a result feel incongruous: a lip-synced golden rave; a flirtatious pigeon. They lack a logical connection with the script.

Sound levels undulate, making the details of the plot harder to understand. Film clips and sound queues deafen and drown out the shouts of the actors. Even without background noise, some dialogue in the opening scenes is lost through a lack of projection. 

There are lovely touches: translated subtitles projected onto a back wall, and a sparkling swimming pool of gold ribbon. Kirstyn Ballard’s compositions of five-part harmonies are luxurious, with the female chorus providing a beautiful background for several scenes. But they are underused, this delicacy not replicated throughout the rest of the production.

This company clearly have some bright ideas, but their execution could do with some polishing.