Gecko are masters at the exquisite theatrical image. Over the past decade, with productions such as Missing (soon to be re-staged at Battersea Arts Centre) and The Race they have continued to grow bigger, bolder productions fusing physical storytelling with text and stunning stage pictures. Institute, which premiered at Derby Theatre last May, sees Amit Lahav’s company inhabit a surreal institution in which four men help, hurt, and hinder each other to overcome crippling memories.

Lahav plays Martin, who is pining for a lost love. Chris Evans is Daniel, an architect struggling to put pen to paper having collapsed under too much early expectation from parents and lovers. The men exist in an existential world of towering filing cabinets ruled by Louis (an eerily menacing Francois Testory), a middle-aged Frenchman who veers from violence to tenderness as he attempts to free the men of their demons. A fourth man (Ryan Perkins-Gangnes), who speaks only in German, assists Louis but has his own demons. Through clown-like mutterings, distinctively sharp dance sequences, and scenes of torture the men head deeper into their dark world.

The revelations in Institute are Lahav’s collaborations with his team. He has expertly interwoven design (with Rhys Jarman), lighting (with Chris Swain), music (Dave Price), and sound (Nathan Johnson) to create a fluid and surprisingly designed piece. The outside and inside world magically appear within the cabinets, light and sound shooting out from within a drawer. Repeatedly, whole tables and chairs slide out and disappear within an instant. Later on, a giant glass box glides out of a panel, trapping and framing characters. The combinations of expertly woven sound, light, and space are constantly exhilarating, propelling the men into their ever-desperate world of obsessions.

The physical language is also explosively visceral. Evans and Lahav fluidly whirl around each other, completing each other’s gestures or interrupting each other’s movements as if it was second nature. In one captivating sequence all four men hold hands in a circle and contort their bodies across the space, gently disappearing through the holes created by each other’s movements. It’s a tender moment suggesting the quartet desperately need to hold onto each other, that it is a caring environment in which they live rather than a pained one. Elsewhere, Lahav is manipulated by four large poles connected to his limbs and head, forcing him to face his demons. Reminiscent of James Thierrée it is as much disturbing as beautiful to watch.

Despite its beauty, intrigue, and humour Institute left me wanting more from each man’s story. How did they get here? Where will they go after the beautiful lights dim?  Who is the haunted man continually falling to his death? Why did Margaret leave Martin? I suspect Lahav & co want to leave us asking these questions, want us to consider what institute we might end up in, and who will be there to care for, or torture us…

After the London International Mime Festival, Institute is also touring to:
Lighthouse, Poole – 23 & 24 Jan  lighthousepoole.co.uk
Hall for Cornwall – 30 & 31 Jan  www.hallforcornwall.co.uk