What’s your random obsession? Sophie Smyth’s is the implosion of OceanGate’s Titan submersible, but this fascination is the true definition of obsession. She knows everything about the events off by heart, including but not limited to; dates, coordinates, passengers and the words to the sub’s promotional YouTube video. On surface level, this show is a great advertisement for the negative side of being obsessed with an event to which there are still questions to be answered. Though as we journey deeper towards the details surrounding what happened down there, we discover that it’s okay to embrace your quirks and hyper fixations, because these things are what make us who we are, including those who perished in the incident.
You take your seat and assume the role of ‘mission specialist,’ the title given to the paying passengers of each Titan expedition. You sit with the audience in an impressively simulated depiction of the inside of the sub which uses nothing but lighting, sound and a tiny window projected on the screen, like the one that was in the sub. These sections are scattered throughout the show, but beyond that there is so much more. Smyth’s captivating performance makes what should just be a fairly disturbing educational hour feel like so much more. There is some masterfully crafted dark comedy on show, along with some more distant personal stories that lighten the mood when things take a dark turn.
The show is much more than just a retelling of the events of the disaster, it provides laughs, fun audience interaction and some triumphant moments. I left with a lot of new feelings about the event that hadn’t occurred to me before seeing this seriously thought-provoking show.
The Subplot: A Hyperfixation on The Titan Submersible. 15:20, Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall, until August 31
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-subplot-a-hyperfixation-on-the-titan-submersible
