Stage: Myth, memory and other bad ideas

–320°F
Minus Three Twenty Fahrenheit
written & directed by Hideki Noda
with Sadawo Abe, Suzu Hirose, Eri Fukatsu, Koji Ohkura, Shoko Takada, Yuri Kawakami, Satoshi Hashimoto, Hideki Noda, Isao Hashizume
choreography Shigehiro Ide
sets Yukio Horio • costumes Kodue Hibino
music Marihiko Hara • sound Raku Nakahara
lighting Motoi Hattori, Makoto Kitazawa
Sadler's Wells, London • 2-11.Jul.26 ★★★★

Following a run at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Japanese theatre company Noda Map brings a cast of 25 fully committed performers to London to stage this outrageously energetic epic play. Mixing various styles of theatre, this is a sparky mix of comedy, physical theatre, existential debate and absurd nuttiness. At 2 hours 20 minutes with subtitles and without an interval, it's not for the faint-hearted, but the bonkers storytelling and big ideas catch the imagination.

It's difficult, and perhaps pointless, to describe the Faustian narrative. But a brightly comical tone runs through the show, with constant sight gags, witty wordplay and cheeky characters who refuse to behave themselves. It opens with God (Isao Hashizume) making a wager with the Angel of Light (Suzu Hirose) about human desire. Then we're in the present day, as Professor Kyuri (Eri Fukatsu) is excavating for angel bones, the key to health, desire and longevity. She discovers that Help (Sadawo Abe) vibrates on the angelic frequency, so sends him into his genetic memories to both medieval and ancient times, seeking answers. And he's easily bribed with bananas.

All of this is set in a Tower of Babel that shifts through the eras, ruled by priests, monarchs or chief executives. There's a lot going on visually, with constant action as scenes shift using inventive trickery with light, sheets, screens, trap doors, steam vents and colourful costumes. It's dazzling to watch, thankfully directed with enough clarity to reveal exactly where to look. Each performer invests enormous personality and attitude into multiple roles, bringing them to life in ways that are continually surprising.

Along the way, the script tackles enormous questions, such as why humans are always running (to get away from metaphorical dinosaurs, of course). There's a Pied Piper who leads liberated lab mice or angels who have been frozen to –320°F to preserve them. But not all mice (or angels) follow the crowd. Conversations explore how our bones hold the memories of everything that has gone before, while fossilised bones communicate with the future. The show is a blinding mix of playful dialog, eye-catching choreography and heart-stopping insight. "When I had youth, I had nothing and I lacked nothing." "Beauty isn't an achievement."

Writer-director Hideki Noda, who performs as Kyuri's lively Assistant Stalwart, says that this play is designed to be something different for everyone who watches it, depending on how willing they are to connect with its more personal layers. Intriguingly, he acknowledges some will dismiss the show due to its excessive goofiness. But he clearly has these people in mind when he makes us laugh at something absurd or stops us with a profound observation. And in the end, this is a strikingly beautiful depiction of the folly of seeking eternal youth or trying to understand the meaning of humanity. Or of love itself.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS > • NODA MAP >

photos by Takashi Okamoto • 2.Jul.26

Critical Week: It's my party

It's my birthday week, so I decided to go see a guilty pleasure movie (I'd missed the press screening while I was in France), namely Jackass: Best and Last. It was as ridiculous as expected, not quite as funny as the joke has been stretched to the breaking point. But these guys evoke an intriguing stream of nostalgia that's engaging. Then the week's best surprise was the Canadian comedy Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, an absurd time-travel adventure that's riotously funny and also hugely likeable thanks to actor-filmmakers Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Minions & Monsters
ALL REVIEWS >

Rather a lot darker, My Father's Island is a gorgeously shot drama set in a remote corner of Norway starring the excellent Swann Arlaud and Woody Norman. Nathan Grubbs stars in and directs the involving drama Cowboy, worth a look even when it goes a bit off the rails. And Amanda Richards stars in and directs the likeable and deliberately rude musical romp Whiskey Dixie and the Big Wet Country. I also saw Hideki Noda's −320°F at Sadler's Wells.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching the live-action remake of Moana, the reboot Evil Dead Rise, Willem Dafoe in Late Fame, Sean Bean in The Isolate Thief and the doc Shoot the People. There's also a live performance of Richard III at the Cockpit.

Dance: An explosion of everyday joy

Phoenix Dance Theatre
Interplay
dancers Dorna Ashory, Aaron Chaplin, Rory Clarke, Phikolwethu Luke, Graciela Mariqueo-Smith, Hannah McGlashon, Yasmina Patel, Tony Polo, Dylan Springer
costumes Janne Beresford, Melissa Parry
lighting Luke Haywood, Alina Longmore
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 24-27.Jun.26 ★★★★

There's an unusual everyday quality to these four pieces by the Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre, as these sparky young performers wear costumes that look like street clothes. And the beautifully fluid choreography mixes powerful dance moves with real-life interaction. The energy is infectious, filling the space with waves of physical joy.

First up is Next of Kin, choreographed by Marcus Jarrell Willis, a duet that ripples with the textures of a relationship. As this duo spin around the stage, they are expressing a full range of emotional realities in just 7 minutes, from fights to cuddles to moments in which they split apart and do their own thing. It's a remarkable display of extraordinary dance skill combined with physical theatre, as the quick and complex choreo expresses sparky wit, playfulness and dark intensity.

Ed Myhill's 13-minute piece Why Are People Clapping?! (restaged by Camille Giraudeau) is only accompanied by the sound of hands coming together. And it explores the rhythms of a range of activities, from a tennis match to a pounding heartbeat. The piece evolves from solos into duets and a full-group clapping circle that spurs faster and more complex moves. There's a sense that much of this is improvised, as performers mime various actions, cheering each other on with vibrant energy and impressive physicality, leading to a jubilant climax.

A bit longer, Small Talk by Travis Knight and James Pett is set to a classical score as two dancers intriguingly negotiate for space on the stage. This involves moving a large rug, a floor lamp and a chair around the space, interacting with them and each other to reflect how relationships shift over time. The performers dive into the elegant, demanding choreo, expressing full-bodied emotions. The push and pull between them is beautifully portrayed in duets and solos, with each light touch carrying remarkable weight. It's delicate and achingly honest.

Finally, Suite Release is a new 40-minute piece by Marcus Jarrell Willis and Yusha-Marie Sorzano that traces the origins of house music, opening with Labrinth's stunningly eerie rendition of How Great Thou Art. The set resembles a community space, cleverly echoing both a church and a nightclub, in which the dancers perform hugely physical choreography that evolves as the beat shifts through soul, disco and hip-hop, ultimately becoming a full-on party. It reverberates with groovy group energy that emerges from individual personalities coming together. It's clear that this company is gleefully celebrating bodies, music and life itself.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Drew Forsyth • 25.Jun.26

Critical Week: On an adventure.

I took a four-day trip to France this week to attend the Annecy Festival of Film Animation, and along with spending time with filmmakers and fellow journalists, I also managed to see five films. Writer-directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado enthusiastically offered a sneak screening of Forgotten Island, a ripping, gloriously animated adventure centred around friendship memories. And Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri were on hand to open the festival with the world premiere of Minions & Monsters. It's a joyous romp through early Hollywood, the best minions movie yet. I also saw Nobody, a gorgeously animated and superbly well-told adventure from China; The Violinist, a beautiful but unsatisfying personal drama set over half a century in Singapore; and Soul Shift from Germany, a riotously silly, bright-hued sci-fi comedy with a sharp point. (NB. Titles link to reviews; Forbidden Island is embargoed until closer to release.)

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Drunken Noodles
A Private Life
ALL REVIEWS >

Meanwhile in London, the 34th Raindance Film Festival is heading into its final weekend. I caught four films: Think of England is a cheeky wartime British comedy that morphs into a rather intense drama; from Iran, My Daughter's Hair is a dark and involving family melodrama; Pescador is a provocative, artistic road movie that plays with magical realism in Mexico; and The Troll is a brightly deadpan pastiche of influencer delusion. Raindance reviews are linked HERE >

Finally, I saw two films that open in cinemas this week. Milly Alcock is Supergirl in a followup to last year's Superman. Set in outer space, it's a very different film, enjoyable but derivative, with lots of big action-comedy set-pieces. And the Icelandic vampire thriller Thirst has a dry, camp sense of humour running through the queer, outrageously grisly nuttiness.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching a few more films at Raindance and catching up with others that I've missed. Oddly, there are no press screenings in the diary for my birthday week, but I do have a show titled -370°F at Sadler's Wells.

Critical Week: Shop til you drop

The 34th Raindance Film Fest kicked off Wednesday night with April X, an enjoyably stylised near-future thriller starring Luly Krug and Connor Storrie. Indie films from around the world are on the programme over the next 10 days. Meanwhile, the biggest film in cinemas is Toy Story 5, the latest thoroughly entertaining sequel in the franchise that could easily have just ended years ago. Thankfully, the Pixar team doesn't rest on its laurels.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Cactus Pears • Toy Story 5
Rose of Nevada • Nino
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day
PERHAPS AVOID:
A Murder Between Friends
ALL REVIEWS >

I also saw Voicemails for Isabelle, a romcom that references classic romcoms shamelessly and still wins us over thanks to charming leads Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson. Virginia Woolf's Night and Day is a smart British period comedy-drama with Haley Bennett as a fiercely independent woman in 1910 London, Joan Collins leads the cast of the nutty whodunit A Murder Between Friends, which is watchable even if it's very corny. The British drama Ish is a staggeringly realistic slice of life that grapples meaningfully with big issues. And the American drama Blue Film is a fascinating and finely contained exploration of attraction and sexuality.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Milly Alcock in Supergirl and the Icelandic vampire movie Thirst. At Raindance Film Festival, I plan to see Think of England, Pescador, My Daughter's Hair and more, and then at Annecy Festival in France there's Minions & Monsters to start with.

Dance: Island dreams

Acosta Danza Yunior
Next Generation
artistic director Carlos Acosta
dancers Carolina Monteagudo, Heidy Núñez, Maria del Carmen Pantoja, Paul Brando, Alexander Arias, Alejandro Figueredo, Ernesto Muñoz, Noel Sánchez, Anthony Quevedo, Edgar Quintero
teacher Maylin Castillo • company manager Rayselis Rodriguez
technical director Pedro Benitez • sound Jose Acedo
Sadler's Wells East, Stratford • 17-20.Jun.26 ★★★★

Graduates from Carlos Acosta's Cuban dance academy take the stage for a programme that bursts with youthful energy and strength. Each of the four pieces has strong echoes of Caribbean culture, catching the vibes of life on a tropical island while also reflecting larger social issues. Fluidly choreographed, this is a riveting show, and a promising look at the future of dance.

Fuga, choreographed by Susana Pous, opens with a group of dancers languishing in the sunshine on a spotlit square of green in the middle of the stage with the sounds of the sea. Their movement starts gradually, as they awaken and start to interact, looking beyond their shores to another life but refusing to let others go. They smoothly shift, roll and stretch both individually and communally. And as they begin to escape, it becomes strikingly moving. 

In a red frame around the edge of the stage, a pair of dancers (a girl in black and a boy in red) take a playfully exploratory journey around the space, spinning and echoing each other in complex textures of interaction. This is an eye-catching display of athleticism, using balance and flexibility to create a deconstructed take on both ballroom and ballet, with added drama!

Inspired by René Magritte's series The Lover, Kit Holder's Capriccio begins with two male dancers whose heads are wrapped together in a sheet; one flexes his muscles in casual wear, the other is in a suit. They move together in silence, pushing and pulling each other reactively. This duality is echoed in individual solos, performed alternatively side-by-side, leading to a stunning duet featuring dazzling choreographical flourishes. Their expressive chemistry is astonishing.

Finally, Juliano Nunes' Mundo Interpretado (Interpreted World) is framed by a floating field of water lilies designed by artist Glenda León. Beneath this, six dancers execute big moves together along to the rhythmic music. This mesmerising piece evolves into various solos, duets and group moments, progressing through sexy lifts, flips and flight, as the sound of waves returns. The interlocking movement is gorgeous, shifting from an edgy struggle into the blissful joy of balletic precision.

This is a beautiful show full of powerful physicality, mixing classical and modern dance with acrobatics. And the cleverly understated costumes perfectly augment each piece. The movement is so expressive that we feel like we are breathing in sync with these gifted dancers. Their youthful spark adds a terrific kick to the entire programme, revealing their serious strength and talent while hinting at much more to come.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Jayne Jackson, Yuris Nórido • 17.Jun.26

Critical Week: It's an emergency!

Well, I'm back in London after a couple of weeks visiting friends and family in Southern California. Of course, I also caught a few films out there. There were press screenings for two movies that open this week: Stop! That! Train! is a silly disaster movie satire with RuPaul Charles and a bevy of drag queens (including Ginger Minj and Jujubee, above) on a runaway train through a stormagaza. It's profoundly ridiculous, and fairly hilarious. Steven Spielberg is back in the alien business with Disclosure Day, a riveting thriller starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo. It's expertly assembled in a way that's hugely entertaining, and also thought-provoking.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Disclosure Day
Pink Narcissus
ALL REVIEWS >

There was also a screening of The Invite, a pungent, play-like drama featuring just four characters superbly well-played by Olivia Wilde (who also directs), Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. And Boorman and the Devil is a fascinating multi-layered documentary exploring John Boorman's biggest bomb, Exorcist II The Heretic (1977). Back in London, there was the fiercely original Mexican stop-motion animated fantasy I Am Frankelda, the slickly made Norwegian underwater monster movie Kraken, and the uneven but provocative indie dramatic horror thriller Red Lights. 

While in California, I took my parents to see Project Hail Mary on the big screen, as I wanted to see it again, and loved it just as much as the first time. We also caught up with Rob Reiner's And So It Goes (2014). a scrappy and warmly likeable romcom starring Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas, and The Union (2024), a dopey but likeable action comedy with Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg. It was a special treat to attend a retro British concert at the Hollywood Bowl featuring 1980s icons The Human League, Soft Cell and Alison Moyet (see below). On the flight back to London, I finally watched last year's amusingly nutty reboot of Anaconda, starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton and some big cameos, as well as the expansive two-part doc Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, which I enjoyed a lot.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Pixar's Toy Story 5, Joan Collins in A Murder Between Friends, British comedy Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, British drama Ish, US drama Blue Film and global doc Super Nature. And the 34th Raindance Film Fest kicks off on Wednesday.

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