What: Limit
Who: State Theatre Company
When: 24 October – 9 November
Where: Bakehouse Theatre
Tickets: here

Limit is the latest from the State Theatre Company and, holy shit, do they deliver. Marc (James Smith) and Sarah (Rachel Burke) have a one-way ticket to Mars. As the two chosen astronauts on the Mars Project, the pair are destined to be the first two Martians. But there’s a twist. The Mars Project is a reality TV show, broadcasting every second to us back on Earth. Days pass. The pair become close. But the longer they’re onboard, the tension begins to creep up. Will they make it?

Written by Adelaide playwright Sophia Simmons, Limit begins with Sarah centre-stage. The screen depicting the day reads ‘day 212’. Of an eight month journey, they’re not far off the mark. “We’re going to make it”, Sarah decrees, her voice shaking. Then the days flicker backwards to ‘day 1’. Buckle up, we’re blasting off.

Smith and Burke are both outstanding in Limit. The two actors have excellent chemistry. This, along with the simple, space chic set design and the powerful sound design, all transport you on the journey. The tension is palpable. You can see it radiating off of Marc and Sarah’s bodies, the sound jarring and the lights pulsing in the background. You have one eye on the action and the other checking the passing days of the journey at the back of the stage, watching as the numbers climb.

It’s a terrifying reality that doesn’t feel too distant from our own. It’s like something Elon Musk might still do. Limit transports you to this alternate reality. Go and see it for both laughs and tension. It’s well worth the ride.

5 out of 5 stars