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The Barbican Theatre
presents
Teatr ZAR
Gospels of Childhood, The Triptych
Project Leader: Jaroslaw Fret
The Company
Nini Julia Bang, Ditte Berkeley, Przemysław Błaszczak, Tomasz Bojarski, Emma Bonnici, Alessandro Curti, Jean Francois Favreau, Jarosław Fret, Kamila Klamut, Aleksandra Kotecka, Matej Matejka, Ewa Pasikowska, Tomasz Wierzbowski
St. Giles Church and Barbican Pit
24 Sept – 2 Oct 09
I
 zens
A review by Marion Drew for EXTRA! EXTRA!
The muted evening light coming through the arched windows of St. Giles Cripplegate and the deep silence of the interior arches of the church were the perfect backdrop to the beginning of our journey with the Teatr ZAR company in this haunting performance. The triptych, Gospels of Childhood, is a ritualistic lamentation on the cycle of life and death told by a cast of 13 through a skillful and exquisitely controlled blend of song, chanting and movement.
Working in a tight ensemble of singers, actors, dancers and musicians, music is imbued with movement, dance with sound, sound with light, all held meticulously together in a thick, rich web of song. This Polish company creates a theatrical language which is at once meditative, intimate and timeless, and which creates an energy that draws the audience effortlessly into a space that is compellingly spiritual. Polyphonic singing with its rich harmonic overtones and beauty of the dissonances of intervals of seconds prized in the countries of its origin, has its ancient roots in eastern Europe. For this performance, the traditions of Georgia, Corsica, Sardinia, Ukraine and the Balkans and Svaneti in the Higher Caucasus predominate. The techniques of voice production and the use of carefully tuned intervals and distinctive styles of voice ornamentation produce a sound that is truly mesmerising.
Weaving seamlessly in and out of the singing in the three parts of this performance are other elements. The carefully placed beautifully clear sound of bells and gongs and spoken texts is used in Part 1 Gospel of Childhood The Overture and allusion to the ritual of washing strengthens its spiritual undertone. The audience walks, an act which echoes traditions of meditation and pilgrimage, from the church to The Pit in the Barbican for Part 2 Caesarean Section, Essays on Suicide, where dance and movement duets create a completely different quality and pattern. There is a touch of fleeting humour here in the section entitled ‘suicide’s cinema’, but again the singing maintains the strong sense of the spiritual. Part 3, Anhelli, The Calling has a more muted and hushed quality, the walk back to the church in the darkness heightening the sense of mystery.
But above all, the singing is the foundation of this work and its bedrock throughout, and reflects the views of ZAR’s project leader Jaroslaw Fret, that theatre has its deepest sources in song, which in this performance generates an energy which is deeply compelling. The technical skills of the performers who sing, dance, move and play instruments are impressive, particularly in movement duos and group choral sections of the work.
Their intense focus on the work and on each other as partners forges a commanding group dynamic which makes a powerful statement about the capacity of song to unite and uphold human relationships, and underscores the value of that most elusive of things in today’s world, social harmony. This piece is a magnificent way to open Barbican Bite’s September – December season, and a wonderful contribution to Polska Year, celebrating the achievements of Polish culture in the UK.
Barbican Theatre
London, EC2Y 8DS
Thursday 24 September until Friday 2 October 2009
Performances: 7pm
No performance on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 September
Age guidance:12+
Running time: 215 minutes including two intervals
Venue: St Giles Church and the Pit
Audiences should collect their tickets from the Box Office at St Giles Church, Fore Street , Barbican, EC2Y 8DA
Tickets: £20
BOX OFFICE: 08451207550
9.00am – 8.00pm Monday – Saturday; 11.00am – 8.00pm Sundays and Bank Holidays
www.barbican.org.uk
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