All going swimmingly well

Two women and one man are standing in swimming costumes on a cold white stage. Through a public address system, three disembodied voices, which may or may not be a function of the actors' own selves, instruct them to make meaningless physical gestures. The three are powerless to disobey; equally, they appear perfectly happy to participate.

They are in a place called Aquaworld, which echoes with the sounds of people swimming. Every so often, Aquaworld's clinical, almost fascistic sense of order is disrupted by a sudden switch to an entirely different world where, in a series of disturbing tableaux, more sinister power games flicker into view, involving a masked gymnast, figures in suits and a grotesquely inflated pope.

Rotozaza theatre company have investigated this sort of territory before: in a previous piece, Bloke, a member of the audience was instructed in similar ways via headphones. Here it is the whole audience being challenged: the abrupt, theatrical shifts in tone undermine our understanding of what appear to be innocent roleplay games among the swimmers, particularly when the latent violence of the dream world starts bleeding into the real one.

At the same time, the company suggest that theatre itself is a form of absolutist power: at one point one swimmer is forced to replay the same scene until she has learned to deliver her lines in exact synchronicity. Somehow, all of this is never as tedious as it sounds, partly because the cast wittily acknowledge the absurdity of what is going on, and mainly because, fittingly enough, Rotozaza display a strong and sophisticated sense of artistic control.

Until Mar 12, Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street E8, Thu to Sun 7.30pm, £12, £8 concs. Tel: 020 8985 2424. www.hackneyempire.co.uk. Rail: Hackney Central

Five In The Morning