Darkfield Radio – Double

When I was asked if I wanted to review this ‘audio experience’ I had no idea what to expect. Told simply that I needed to download the Darkfield Radio app, headphones at the ready and ensure that I had a willing friend to participate in this experience with me. Mr Musical Theatre Musings received his instructions and we were ready to go with the app providing a countdown to the 8pm start time.
With Darkfield Radio – Double you and your friend are told to sit either side of a kitchen table (if you have one). You plug yourself into the app and close your eyes as you are whisked away to Darkfield’s world. Double examines the world of Capgras delusion, a condition in which the suffer is convinced that a loved one has been replaced by a replica with malign intention. You are put into the position of someone suffering with this condition and you learn the lengths they will go to. You are of course supposed to begin to believe that the person you are listening to this with isn’t who they say they are however I was more scared that they were getting different directions into their ears and were about to make me jump!
The sound design was incredibly clever and the familiar kitchen sounds really made you question what was real and what was coming through your headphones. When you hear whispers in your ear in it took a lot of inner strength for me not to turn around to see who was there and when a glass smashes you wonder if someone nearby has had an accident.
I genuinely felt on edge throughout, an odd feeling when you are sitting in your own kitchen and really does show the power of believable sound design combined with your own imagination.
Find out more about Darkfield on their website. The show is 20 minutes and tickets are £5 from Darkfield’s website and it runs until August 2nd.
If you like this review of Darkfield Radio – Double you might also like my review of Who Sang ‘She Used To Be Mine’ best, a quiz on the West End Shows and an article about racism in amateur theatre.