Power drill? Check. Hammers? Present and correct. Chainsaw? Fully charged. But it’s best not to give a full inventory for this unclassifiable hour of circus-theatre-carpentry in the fringe’s Made in Germany showcase because Michael Zandl, David Eisele and Kolja Huneck have some major surprises in their toolbox and some seriously professional kit. This really is a workshop production.
With an operatic accompaniment, it starts with a race to see which of the trio is fastest to assemble a chair from offcuts of wood, each using different methods. As they show off their handiwork, Huneck does not risk sitting on his stool, fixed together with thick dollops of smeared glue. Instead, in the first of several surprise exits and entrances, he disappears between the floorboards of the raised makeshift stage. When he eventually emerges from a trapdoor his body is slathered in paste. (There is an often gunky sound design by Juliano Abramovay and Lasse Munk.) You just hope there are shower facilities backstage.
