Shift Theatre
Hide and Seek
Blue Elephant Theatre
29 April - 17 May
 Couzens
A review by Mags Gaisford for EXTRA! EXTRA!
A crying baby provokes conflicting emotions . An instinctive desire to placate and comfort grapples with impatience, frustration and fear. We could by turns be reminded of our own past vulnerability, or hit with a sense of our responsibility in ensuring future survival. A baby is our past and our future. In physical theatre, then, the symbolic potential of the discovery of an abandoned baby must be great. The structure of this dystopian drama hangs on such a moment like warped canvas on the pole of a makeshift tent.
In Tal Jakubowiczova’s production the world is a dump: a fact suggested by the swathe of crumpled plastic sheeting, with trimmings of styrofoam and bubblewrap, that dominates the stage. The evolutionary scale has peaked and is in decline. People are feral scavengers, fuelled by pure survival instinct to rummage through the wreckage for edible locusts in between mindless acts of violence.
But wait. A withered old bag lady, condemned by thugs to servility, has a secret source of something ethereal. She’s holding onto a glimmer of innocence and, by implication, a lingering sense of possibility. These qualities are embodied in the balletic performance of Ariana Lebron, whose impish presence is at once Puck the trickster and the old lady herself in her more carefree, un - cluttered youth.
She follows our heroine through the rubble, transforming arthritic gestures into a graceful dance of memory, like fancy flying us away to an edenic nostalgia in the clouds. Meanwhile, a swaggering thug - boss is aped by his sycophantic slave in lessons of brutish violence. The question posed, I dare to assume, is which side will win out in this abstract armageddon?
It could be thought provoking. But physical theatre, to the relative newcomer, is daunting. 45 minutes of pure movement, where the only dialogue is disembodied yelps, moans and guttural utterances, demands high concentration. In order to persuade us to suspend all disbelief the performance must be pretty slick. This dream - machine needs oiling.
The predictable repetitions of ritual gestures make the production drag its heels somewhat. The series of mirrored actions being played out and subtly transformed can at times become confusing. There are moments of great sensitivity and humour: when, for example, Lebron’s mewling baby wreaks havoc amongst the villains, or when Jakubowiczova’s Gollem - esque character morphs seamlessly from bat to marsupial to reptile in imitation of lurking monstrosities . The different physical interpretations of bestiality played out by the 4 - strong cast are enjoyably varied and Hutch Demoilpied’s soundscape effectively economical. But at times it feels like the focal point is lost amid the debris.
The first full - length version of this show was staged in Tel Aviv - and surely one of the beauties of physical theatre is its communication beyond linguistic barriers. However, during its full re - working for a three week run in the UK perhaps some of the subtler nuances escaped in translation. There are some poignant moments involving a water trough whose relevance was lost on me. At times it felt like I was struggling to understand the grammar of a foreign language.
The cartoon - villains failed to construct a ‘volatile and hostile world’. It’s a great imaginative leap from the litter - strewn stage to global devastation. Without that sense of real danger and despair the jewel of hope doesn’t shine so bright. Perhaps smoother stage direction and more innovative set design would have moulded what hints at being a complex and poetic narrative into a more coherent, high - impact piece. As it stands I was left wondering what this human nature is that’s supposed to have endured. And where were the puppets?
0207 77010100
www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk
Tickets: £10 (£8 conc)
59a Bethwin Rd
Camberwell
London
SE5 OXT
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