‘Who? What? When? Why?’ Voilà! Festival ships over a tale of sisterhood, sacrifice and gentrification, in the shifting patter of Greek from Athens to London. The social drama should translate fairly easily, considering the common ground and universal themes. Konstantinos Avramis and his theatre company Dispositif. are a nomadic, experimental outfit, mixing physical and ritualistic theatre to deliver a political ...
‘A bubbling smoothie of the weird, the wacky, and the wonderful’ “And it was all a dream” is a universally acknowledged cop-out ending, yet that doesn’t deter Hollywood from trotting it out again and again. Conversely, choreographers regularly view somnambulation as carte blanche-an opportunity to break free of the already largely ignored narrative rigidity and let their freak flag fly. ...
‘We feel a little left out as spectators’ Dam Van Huynh’s Van Huynh Company dominates The Place, following on from their 2023 piece Re:birth. Exquisite Noise is an exploration of rebellion and sound, the question is: does the noise make sense? I think of my experience of this show as pre-blurb and post-blurb. Let’s start, contrary-wise, with my understanding after ...
‘gothic gladiators’ Acrobatics, I would argue, are truly universal. Especially for families: dazzling feats for the kiddywinks, and enough risk and flesh to keep the adults awake. The heady mix of possible death or disfigurement and the twisted, lithe bodies keeps audiences of all ages coming back. Once trapped in the big top (easy, tiger), the circus folk have leapt ...
‘Navigating the shark-infested waters of their local‘ There is something truly idiosyncratic about the British pub, dare I go further, the London pub. The Italian osteria or Greek taverna doesn’t have quite the same blend of comfort and rowdiness, that distinctive smell or pint-dulled tang that settles at midnight. So, when I clocked a new(ish) Matthew Bourne set in one ...
‘Korean art has long enthralled the West: from Changgeuk and Pansori (Opera/folk performance) to swooping, spidery calligraphy. Now, a festival of dance expands our horizons once again.’ Having missed Jinjo Crew at Breakin’ Convention at the beginning of the month, I fairly squeaked when I spied that a Korean dance festival was on at The Place and in its eighth year. It is supported ...
‘For the more witchy among you, May Day bank holiday or Beltane is all about renewal, regrowth, and May poles. I have my own tradition, which is an artistic celebration of the new, budding, and blossoming: Breakin’ Convention.’ Due to word limits and a very stuffed festival, I shall be sparing with background. Twenty-two years ago, HipHop legend Jonzi D and his ...
‘Holly Blakey is hot hot hot. This double bill gives an excerpt of an upcoming full-length show and a flash of a past one, aiming to demonstrate range.’ Holly Blakey‘s productions have been attended by Vivienne Westwood; she’s designed the movement for the music videos of Florence and the Machine and Coldplay and worked with the likes of Gucci and ...
‘Don’t we all want to regress evolutionarily and return to the trees? Ok just me? Well, Dance Reflections does just that with Rachid Ouramdane and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève’s latest highline extravaganza.’ Arguably the best-heeled festival in the city, your little theatre reviewer returned to the Dance Reflections byVan Cleef & Arpels Festival for much more than just the ...
‘Liv Lorent and her eponymous troop dominate the Easter program at Sadler’s Wells East, with two retellings of Snow White aimed at different age groups. However, the adult version succumbs to its own poison apple.’ Us reviewers are normally solitary little moles, burrowing from our nests to and from theatres across the city/country. Occasionally, we do meet up, sacrificing a ...