Any theatre company brave enough to wade into the unknown and take theatre into new and unusual places deserves plenty of credit. French-Canadian collective Le Patin Libre have done just that with The Rule of 3, a visual theatre / dance / ice skating performance that takes place in ice rinks. The company are determined to break away from the traditional sequinned conformity of figure skating and to bring elements of theatre and narrative onto the ice.
The show follows the efforts of three ice skaters to do just that. Through humorously staged self-help groups and individual set pieces, they tell the story of their passion for ice skating and their frustration with the creative restrictions that come with the form.
The skill of the performers on the ice is quite breathtaking, and they shine when they are gliding gracefully across its surface or performing the set pieces that provide some of the stunning visuals that appear in the piece. Most memorably this included a moment when two skaters are attached to each other by a rope, one trying frantically to escape his partner as he begins swinging in a wide arc around a fixed point.
Frustratingly the moments when the piece loses its way are the moments dedicated to a more traditional theatre form. When some chairs and a table skid into place and a scene is played out, the use of such a standard theatrical convention feels sluggish in a piece that cries out for innovation. There is so much more that could be done in such a unique setting, and the moments that stood out best where when they allowed themselves to play with the space.
The piece also went on a little too long. There was an excellent moment that felt like the end which saw the three skaters dancing in their pants to ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ – a glorious and triumphant moment that they struggled to top in the 20 or so minutes that followed, and after an hour and a half of sitting still beside the ice the cold soon became very uncomfortable.
But the company deserves much applause for its innovation, for an excellent evening out, and for a performance that delivers some truly stunning moments. I do hope they continue their theatrical pursuit; it’s a form that is under-explored and which holds so much potential. And theatre must be innovative if it is to survive and to prosper.