I approached this play cautiously, due to the company's claim it represented a "theatre of violence". I could only hope they didn't attack me. As it turns out, that's exactly what they did.

Lunatics is not a pleasant experience but it isn't meant to be.

Set during the aftermath of Christ's death, it centres on some of those left behind and explores the themes of grief, violence and betrayal by means of a sonic assault of repetition and profanity. This cacophony achieves a kind of poetic intensity but can also be grating.

All the performances demonstrate power and conviction, especially that of Saskia Schuk as Mary Magdalene, and there are moments of startling beauty. However, as the action progresses, I begin to ask myself how this approach meets Badac's stated aim to "find an essence of violence".

Strangely the violence exhibited is either not brutal enough, or it lacks the subtlety of aggression you might find in the works of Harold Pinter. Modern audiences, who are no longer shocked by nudity and swearing, perhaps may not appreciate the methods as they are employed here.

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