Internal

Smock Alley Theatre, runs until Sunday.

The best way to go into Ontroerend Goed’s

Internal

, the second instalment of the Belgian company’s “intimate trilogy”, is unprepared, unwitting, unguarded. It is, like the sensory experience of The Smile Off Your Face, again a game of trust, but here it’s the game that takes priority. A group of five actors are revealed to us and each carefully selects one of five audience members. We are led into a private booth, where we are offered a drink, a conversation and that most dangerous thing of all, a chance to get comfortable.

No two participants for this devilish, delicious encounter will have the same experience. The first part of the experience is conducted along the lines of speed dating: Maria, an attractive, mysterious and enquiring blonde, wants to get to know me. As the cheesy, romantic tones of A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening play nearby and her questions become more and more personal, it’s both revealing and fascinating how easy it is to forget that her interest is strictly professional.

The illusion of intimacy is, in some way, what theatre is all about, and if Internalis exploitative, it is our willingness to be seduced by performance that it exploits. The performers don't quite play characters, but they employ a definite and discreet artifice. Many will question the show's methods, wondering where the line between performance and connection is drawn, and whether it is crossed. And others may feel uncomfortable when we regroup for a couples' therapy session and our private encounters become public.

You needn't be too apprehensive. The performers' real skills lie in their attentiveness to your words, your body language and your limits. Though the surprises they spring will be stunning, ultimately their methods are curiously reassuring. As it confirms or questions your self-image, it may leave you awed or uneasy (I felt both), but you only take out of it what you put into it. We never get to know our partners, but we do gain a clearer understanding of ourselves. Internalmay come on strong and leave suddenly, but it will still respect you in the morning.