From the moment we arrive at the Arnolfini and are asked to remove our shoes and put on white socks, there is a kinetic sense of anticipation in the air, the audience bunching nervously towards the entrance of the auditorium. Darkness envelops us, and the space into which we must step is fenced by shoulder-height […]
Reviews
Curious Directive: Your Last Breath
February 9th, 2012 by Thomas BaconIf science and philosophy did not sit comfortably within theatre then last year would not have seen the frustratingly engaging Schrödinger from Reckless Sleepers or the beautifully desperate The Writer from Ulrike Quade. Yet somehow Curious Directive, who set out in their manifesto to ‘interrogate the simple role which science plays in everyday life’, have produced a work that […]
Improbable: The Devil and Mister Punch
February 7th, 2012 by Beccy SmithImprobable’s new show, led in this case by director / designer Julian Crouch, is a strange and stirring affair. The opening moments are near perfection, for me. In a gilt frame, against a blue sky, a single, gloveless hand presents itself: the puppet unmasked. Through another small panel, a hand reaches out and sets a […]
The Llanarth Group: Echo Chamber
January 27th, 2012 by Geraldine HarrisThe Echo Chamber is an introverted and largely impenetrable hour-long piece of work that hovers between installation and performance. The piece is a collaboration between renowned psycho-physical actor trainer Phillip Zarrilli and Song of the Goat performer Ian Morgan, directed by experimental performance and installation group MKultra’s Peader Kirk. On stage: two men, two rooms. The […]
Rhum and Clay Theatre Company: Shutterland
January 27th, 2012 by Thomas BaconWith the mechanically open charm of the Lecoq performance style Rhum and Clay present a space of illusive freedom and hegemonic control. Three men in gas masks and trench coats guide, affect and respond to the world of the central character Lublin, a ministry clerk of no import, deftly played with an anxious energy by […]