We meet the couple as they begin an argument in IKEA, that graveyard of otherwise successful relationships. Lungs takes the format of an ongoing conversation between them, spanning several years, exploring their thoughts and feelings as they contemplate having children. At times sharp and clear, at others awkward and naturalistic, their discussion ranges from the philosophical to the banal: from swelling ankles and losing sleep, to creating a personal legacy, to the catastrophic effect on the planet of bringing more people into the world.
In an interview with the guardian, playwright Duncan McMillan explains Lungs was “an attempt to wrestle with some of his own anxieties”. Suddenly, now they are considering the huge responsibility of raising a child together, the couple begin to ask themselves some uncomfortable questions – “we’re good people… aren’t we?” is a repeated question in their conversation. Lungs’ razor sharp, often frenetic script is balanced with still, quiet moments of heartbreak. The doubt the characters feel cycles back and forth, and they’re rarely on the same page. They interrogate and over think everything, unable to believe in their own feelings. A cacophony of anxieties and doubts builds, crashes and repeats like waves as they talk over one another, not listening, drowning in their fears.
The frequent references to global warming and climate change sometimes seemed a little one dimensional – it’s difficult to swap back and forth from the intimate story of people’s lives to something so vast and terrifying that people already have trouble comprehending it. Lungs brings this into the conversation, however the script feels at its most true to life in the small moments of squabbling and affection.
McMillan intended Lungs to be an extremely minimalist work using no sound, no lights and no props to “break out of a certain kind of formal cul-de-sac”. However several productions, including the MTC’s, have negotiated this stipulation. Subtle lighting changes and clever choreography help to signal time passing and new locations. A truly brilliant set design by Andrew Bailey parallels their relationship, mimicking the circular nature of their conversation and changing throughout the play until it is almost unrecognisable.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Melbourne Theatre Company
Lungs
by Duncan Macmillan
5 February-19 March 2016
Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
