Very occasionally, one will come across a piece of theatre that blows away all preconceptions of what a theatrical experience can be, a performance that occupies a special place in the mind of the observer and becomes a benchmark by which to measure all other experiences, often recalled and never forgotten.
Mathurin Bolze and his Compagnie MPTA have created nothing short of a masterpiece with Du Goudron et des Plumes, a blend of physical theatre, dance and circus which takes place on an awe-inspiring set that lifts, lowers, swings and turns. The piece has no words and no obvious narrative, it as rather an exploration of an incredibly unique space by five astonishing physical performers. But the playful way that the performers explore their surroundings allows the audience to place their own narrative on the piece. And the sheer disbelief fostered at the spectacle unfolding before my eyes left me content at times to abandon reason and simply enjoy the action, the like of which I have never seen before.
It begins gently as the set comes down from the ceiling and the performers explore their surroundings, which have a feel of a post-apocalyptic desert island. Relationships begin to evolve as they play with the most obvious areas of the space. The movement varies between bouts of frenetic energy similar to free running or capoeira, to tender tones of love or loneliness.
As the show develops the set slowly reveals more of its secrets, the performers begin to explore hidden areas above and below, and we’re treated to wonderful surprises. The set begins to swing and a whole new area of play opens up as the piece becomes mischievous; toying with our sense of relativity the performers stop suddenly on the floor while the set moves around them. Moving from mischief to rebellion, the laws of gravity are bent and broken as simple yet incredibly effective set pieces play with our perspective. One man stands on top of the set while another man stands upside down beneath him suspended by his feet, creating a bizarre reflection as they move in and out of time with each other.
A stunning shadow sequence takes the play into a whole other world as brown paper drops from beneath the set, and the performers scrabble around unseen beneath it. Shadows are thrown from alternating perspectives; images appear, fade and merge with each other. It’s all executed with such impeccable skill I couldn’t keep up with how they were doing it; it soon ceased to become shadow puppetry and began to look more like animation. Then the paper is recklessly torn and an atmosphere of destruction descends upon the castaways.
We begin to feel pangs of danger as a girl walks in high heels along the edge of the platform, occasionally slipping, seemingly tempted by the fall into oblivion, while the others begin to delight in disaster, creating havoc by destroying plasterboard. A lone trumpet begins the battle call as the set slowly tilts at a terrifying angle which looks as if it should throw them all off it. And as the pandemonium reached it’s zenith I was unable to stop myself from crying out an expletive as the girl grabs onto a rope and throws herself with wilful abandon from the fearful structure and swings high over the stage. Gradually the storm passes, the chaos subsides, and a calm comes across the stage once again. The characters begin to work together, moving the structure to their will and towards a common goal. And the piece finishes in a powerful image, unmistakably saturated in boundless hope.
I had to sit in my seat for a little while after it had finished to take it all in. Without any exaggeration, the most incredible thing I’ve witnessed in a theatre.