Dance: Adapting and transcending

BREAKIN’ CONVENTION PRESENTS:
State Shift
by The Ruggeds
choreo Roy Overdijk, Shailesh Bahoran, Virgil 'Skychief' Dey, Lee Demierre
performers Lee Demierre, Virgil 'Skychief' Dey, Roy Overdijk
music Jessy 'Boi Beige' Kemper, Dominique Vleeshouwers
design Ido Koppenaal, Niek Traa
Sadler's Wells, London • 26-27.May.23

With their distinctive mix of hip hop and breaking, the Netherlands-based collective The Ruggeds assembles a visceral programme of dance, music, film and eye-catching stagecraft. Their extraordinary physicality requires enormous strength and balance, as the choreography plays with ideas of weight and perspective. Consisting of two pieces with musical bridge, State Shift is about how humans adapt to and transcend their environment.

For Waterbrothers, a circle on the stage is set beneath a huge nest of light rods as dancers Roy Overdijk and Lee Demierre move with an uncanny liquidity. Remaining close to the floor, they spiral around the space as if pushed by currents, sometimes synchronised but often echoing or challenging each other, taking turns to lead as the movements become bigger, more upright and airborne. And when they touch or collide, it's like a jolt of electricity.

Then in Turns, Virgil 'Skychief' Dey performs a solo that begins tentatively, as he crawls or walks around the floorspace avoiding the lights as they fall from the sky, forming a shimmering wall around him. His movements reflect an exploration of this setting, tracing the way he begins to take charge of his surroundings, gaining confidence and building to some astonishing displays of dexterity, speed and strength.

Both pieces are accompanied by live music performed by the talented Jessy 'Boi Beige' Kemper, who also appears live on-stage between the two segments, emerging from shadows. His work has the same improvisational feel as the dancers, blending a range of rhythms and musical styles into a pulsing club-like vibe.

At the end of the curtain call, Overdijk introduces two short films that both document and expand on Waterbrothers and Turns. These are skilfully shot and edited, placing the dancers in a variety of spectacular real-world spaces as they perform in the air, underwater, on ice and in crowded streets. They're just a few minutes long, but they add terrific textures of meaning to the live performances.

For details, visit SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Emile Vrolijk • 26.May.23

Critical Week: Looking for answers

With so many critics away in Cannes this week, you'd think it would have been a quiet one back here in London. But screenings have continued as usual, and will get even busier after the holiday weekend. For the next few months, there will be the blockbuster of the week to track down, plus whatever movies intrepid distributors decide to put up against them, either as counter-programming or to give audiences something else to feed their hunger for big-screen spectacle. For a critic, this can feel rather exhausting, as the smaller, more intriguing movies get lost in the shuffle. 

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Sisu • Being Mary Tyler Moore
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But there are some guilty pleasures lurking in the studio output, such as Robert Rodriguez's twisty thriller Hypnotic, starring Ben Affleck and Alice Braga. It's brainy enough to feel smart, even if it isn't. But it's thoroughly entertaining. Disney's remake of The Little Mermaid is still largely animated, now with the heads of ace human stars like Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy grafted to the digital fish-bodies. Halle Bailey is likeable as Ariel, the story and songs are engaging, but the visuals are murky and the tone feels rather grim.

Off the beaten path, Breaking Infinity is a small-budget British thriller that plays around with time travel. It's choppy but involving, and Neil Bishop is a terrific leading man. From China, the animated adventure Boonie Bears: Guardian Code is funny and silly, and also rather chaotic. And Mark Cousins' documentary My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock has some fun with the filmmaking master, to the delight of fans. There were also two stage shows: the prickly romantic drama The Misandrist the Arcola and the dazzlingly acrobatic dance piece Corps Extrêmes at Sadler's Wells.

This next week I'll be watching two highly anticipated comic book blockbusters: The Flash and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, plus Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera in Carmen, Chris Messina in The Boogeyman, French drama The Innocent, Italian drama The Neighbour and International Male documentary All Man. I'll also attend live performances of The Ruggeds: State Shift at Sadler's Wells (review here soon), and the immersive revival of Guys and Dolls at the Bridge.

Dance: Walking on air

Corps Extrêmes Extreme Bodies
by Chaillot – Théâtre National de la Danse
conception Rachid Ouramdane
with Nathan Paulin, Nina Caprez, Airelle Caen, Hamza Benlabied, Yamil Falvella, Löric Fouchereau, Peter Freeman, Ann Raber Cocheril, Belar San Vicente, Maxime Seghers, Seppe Van Looveren
music Jean-Baptiste Julien • video Jean-Camille Goimard
lighting Stéphane Graillot • costumes Camille Panin
Sadler's Wells, London • 23-24.May.23

A mix of extreme athleticism and acrobatics performed with a dance sensibility, this show from Paris' Théâtre National de Chaillot maintains a wonderfully mesmerising tone. Unfolding at a gentle pace, it's a demonstration of strength and balance that often boggles the mind. And it flows across the stage with an unusual fluidity, speaking to the human need for both individual achievement and a little help from our friends.

Upon a climbing wall that fills the stage, a film is projected documenting French highline artist Nathan Paulin, who holds the world record for the longest high-wire walk at 2.2km (nearly 1.4 miles), as he traverses a vertiginous cliff. The camera swirls dizzingly around him and sometimes sits on the ribbon with him while he describes in voiceover the freedom he feels in the sky. Then Paulin appears on a line above the climbing wall, performing a series of skilled balletic moves right above us.

Then he takes a seat and watches as eight climbers appear at the top of the wall, descending with almost uncanny elegance before performing a series of choreographed acrobatic moves on the stage. Their liquidity often makes them look like waves swelling and crashing, as they throw each other into the air, up onto the wall and onto each other's shoulders, tumbling on the floor. They also begin interacting with Paulin on his wire.

Another film is narrated by Swiss rock-climber Nina Caprez, who climbs the stage's wall alongside herself on the cliff's face, dangling precariously from an overhang as Caprez recounts a fall and rescue. This then informs the continuing group performance, which becomes more entwined and emotive as these athletes put their fierce physicality to use without ever seeming to strain a muscle. Their ease and precision are so beautiful that we forget how difficult these movements are.

With its dreamlike tone and a steady flow of goosebump-inducing stunts, this is an often breathtaking combination of dance with sport. So what it says about human physicality and the intrepid spirit of adventure is fascinating, revealed in a visceral way that takes us up into the sky with the performers.

For details, visit SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Pascale Cholette • 23.May.23

Stage: Fear and loathing

The Misandrist
by Lisa Carroll
dir Bethany Pitts
with Elf Lyons, Nicholas Armfield
design Cara Evans
lighting Peter Small
Arcola Theatre, Dalston • 10.May-10.Jun.23

This play's pointed title lurks in the subtext throughout the entire first act, revealing its ugliness only in subtle hints. Then later, it blossoms into a colourful rant of loathing that feels perhaps too deliberately provocative, even as the point is forcefully made. Playwright Lisa Carroll is cleverly depicting, rather than exploring, a collision of gender perspectives. So the play will spark important conversations.

It's a chronicle of a relationship, and it opens with Rachel (Lyons) awkwardly but cutely meeting Nick (Armfield) at a party. Their tentative one-night stand becomes an ongoing sex-based connection, then begins to shift into a relationship. Wounded by her drunken lout of a father and a recent breakup from a guy who cheated on her, Rachel isn't ready to trust the open-hearted nice-guy Nick, so she asks him to trust her instead. He enjoys letting her be dominant, but while she finds the security that's missing from her freelance work-life, he wants more.

Much of the dialog sounds like a stand-up routine, peppered with observational jokes about objects from Tupperware to dildos. And several sequences are actually delivered as stand-up sets, complete with hand-held microphones and spotlights, offering glimpses into how both Rachel and Nick feel about their relationship. This skilfully highlights variations in perspective as well as the truth behind the bravado, but it doesn't offer much actual insight into the characters.

Both actors are excellent, balancing the verbal and physical banter within characters who are both likeable and compelling. Lyons plays up Rachel's sardonic wit and resistance to affection, leading to an astonishing extended monolog that's delivered brilliantly as a spiralling list of grievances that are funny, honest and also rather cheap shots. By contrast, Armfield gives Nick an authenticity that's remarkably endearing. His only flaw is being too accommodating, as it were.

There's a problem with the way all of this comes together, because Rachel's root issues are so specific, and also somewhat obvious, that they eliminate any possible nuance in the narrative. But the staging, with its clever use of lighting, space and props, offers an inventive simplicity that helps the audience look through the material to the ideas underneath. So if the text seems to answer all of the questions it raises, there are plenty of points of identification that will leave us thinking.

For details, visit ARCOLA THEATRE >

photos by Charles Flint • 20.May.23

Critical Week: Say your prayers

After having virtually no spring at all, the weather in London has finally warmed up, just in time for the Cannes Film Festival in the South of France. I'm avoiding that crowded, chaotic festival as usual, and hoping for a couple of quieter weeks at home, and nicer weather will be a bonus. But the movies keep coming, and there were two films this week that take on religion: the drama Are You There God? It's Me Margaret adapts the classic 1970 novel into a nuanced coming-of-age drama starring Abby Ryder Fortson (above). Less textured is Jesus Revolution, which stars Kelsey Grammer as real-life pastor Chuck Smith, who brought hippies into his Southern California church in the late-1960s. It's preachy but watchable.

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Butterfly Vision
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
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And then there's the blockbuster of the week: Fast X is the latest romp for Vin Diesel's car-crashing crew, which fans will love even though it's both ridiculous and predictable. The doc Being Mary Tyler Moore recounts the inspiring story of the iconic actress who had a major impact on culture. I also attended two theatre shows: Skid / Saaba at Sadler's Wells are two superbly physical pieces by a gifted Swedish company, and Once on This Island at Regent's Park Open-Air Theatre is an involving musical set in the Caribbean.

This next week I'll be watching Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, Ben Affleck in Hypnotic, the animated adventure Boonie Bears: Guardian Code, the British whodunit Medusa Deluxe and the documentary My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock. I'll also attend the press nights for The Misandrist at the Arcola and Corps Extremes at Sadler's Wells (reviews here soon).

Dance: Defying gravity

Skid / Saaba
by GöteborgsOperans Danskompani
artistic director Katrín Hall
dancers Amanda Åkesson, Benjamin Behrends, Mei Chen, Tsung-Hsien Chen, Miguel Duarte, Zachary Enquist, Sabine Groenendijk, Mai Lisa Guinoo, Hiroki Ichinose, Janine Koertge, Valērija Kuzmiča, Rachel McNamee, Waldean Nelson, Einar Nikkerud, Riley O'Flynn, Duncan C Schultz, Endre Schumicky, Frida Dam Seidel, Lee-Yuan Tu, Christoph von Riedemann, Arika Yamada, Joseba Yerro Izaguirre
Sadler's Wells, London • 11-13.May.23

With a large company of dancers from more than 20 countries, Sweden's GöteborgsOperans Danskompani is known for its risky and ambitious productions. This programme at Sadler's Wells features two pieces that are strikingly different. Both are hugely demanding for large groups of performers: Skid takes the breath away with its daringly vertiginous approach, while Saaba is more tightly controlled and rhythmically seductive.

Skid 

choreo Damien Jalet

set Jim Hodges, Carlos Marques da Cruz 

music Christian Fennesz, Marihiko Hara

costumes Jean-Paul Lespagnard

lighting Joakim Brink

With the dance floor tilted 34 degrees towards the audience, this piece catches the attention before the first performer appears. Then they emerge legs first over the top, embarking on an astonishingly controlled slide. Some 20 dancers take part over about 45 minutes, both with movements that require serious strength both on their own and in collaboration with others. And it's all rather mind-bending to imaging how they cling to this steep surface while performing elaborately choreographed moves.

Along the way, a story emerges of humanity dawning, learning, working together and finding ways to resist gravity or give in to it, leading to a climactic moment of rebirth that's properly jaw-dropping for its sheer physicality. And because this performance requires controlling something that's essentially uncontrollable, there are moments of improvisation along the way that add a wonderful edge, drawing us in further as these dancers climb and fall with elegant athleticism.

French-Belgian choreographer Damiel Jalet has created a wonderfully evocative piece that feels thrillingly dangerous and achingly beautiful at the same time. And it's cleverly augmented by severe lighting that sometimes shifts to render the performers in long-shadowed silhouette, plus a pulsing electronic score that rattles our bones.

Saaba 

choreo Sharon Eyal

music Ori Lichtik; Daniel Stanfill, Nate Mercereau, Michael Milosh; Abde Wahab; Jean Nkoulou, Homere Zambo; Avaq; Erin Elisabeth Birgy

costumes Mria Grazia Chiuri

lighting Alon Cohen

Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal keeps her dancers on their toes, literally, throughout this pulsating, tightly controlled number. Clad in skin-matched lace costumes, the performers often look naked on the stage, as they strike poses that shift continuously using small movements. They sometimes move as if they're on conveyer belts across the space, or they collect in groups of men or women performing counter-steps near each other.

The positions are so precise that every variation is immediately apparent, simply because one dancer swings their hips or lifts their wrist slightly bigger than the next one. This offers micro-moments of individuality interspersed with the larger, more deliberate ones. And it adds a slightly ragged detail to the otherwise pristine staging, leaving us to ponder what it might mean.

Because of the contained physicality of this piece, it feels unusually intimate. The choreography involves each dancer's entire body, creating shapes that are always in motion. These tiny movements add a fascinating sexuality to the atmosphere, especially as they're performed in unison by gifted men and women who acknowledge both the joy and pain. Accompanied by a superb song score and dramatic lighting that ultimately resolves into deep red, this is a visceral depiction of these dancers' tenacious skill.

For information, visit: SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Lennart Sjöberg, Tilo Stengel • 12.May.23

Critical Week: Reach out

After the pageantry of last Saturday's coronation event and a national holiday on Monday, it was back to normal for most of us. For me, this week's films included Jennifer Lopez taking on some serious action in The Mother, which thankfully undermines its genre cliches with character detail. Set in 1970s London, Dead Shot is a thoughtful thriller starring Aml Ameen and Colin Morgan. It has a nicely gritty period feel, and while it never quite kicks into gear, it's worth a look.

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Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
The Eight Mountains • L'Immensita
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Even more satisfying on the action front, Sisu is a bonkers Finnish thriller about a lone prospector taking on a range of Nazis who are trying to steal his gold as they flee at the end of WWII. In another genre entirely, A Place of Our Own is a lovely drama from India that subtly explores the everyday life yearnings of marginalised trans women. And Anton Corbijn's strikingly visual doc Squaring the Circle traces the work of Hipgnosis, the British design group that created many of the most iconic album covers in the 1970s and 1980s.

This next week I'll be watching Vin Diesel's supposedly penultimate action romp Fast X, the drama Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Kelsey Grammer in Jesus Revolution and the doc Being Mary Tyler Moore. I'll also attend the press night for Skid/Saaba at Sadler's Wells (review here soon).

Critical Week: Cinematic royalty

Pretty much everything in London this week is centred around Saturday's big coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla. I'm avoiding the crowds, and will catch it on TV. Meanwhile, movie queens Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenbergen return for Book Club: The Next Chapter, a much funnier, more engaging sequel to the corny 2018 hit. An even larger ensemble returns for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, which has had better reviews than it deserves. It's funny, and fans will love it, but there isn't a single exciting or thrilling moment.

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Chile '76
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Jim Parsons stars in the involving romantic drama Spoiler Alert, which infuses real-life humour into a sad story. BlackBerry stars Jay Baruchel as the man who first combined email and mobile phones. It's a fascinating story, skilfully told. Two decades in the making, the witty and rather overlong autobiographical comedy 5-35-77 traces Patrick Read Johnson's journey into filmmaking, via a preview screening of Star Wars. And Still is a gorgeously well-made documentary chronicling Michael J Fox's acting career as well as his experiences with Parkinson's. 

I also covered two stage shows this past week: the inventive, insightful Supernova at Clapham Omnibus, and the fiendishly entertaining musical comedy Eurovision: Your Decision at Wonderville

This next week I'll be watching Jennifer Lopez in The Mother, Finnish action film Sisu, 1970s British thriller Dead Shot and Anton Corbijn's doc Squaring the Circle. I also have a couple of catch-up movies to watch.

Stage: Flying the flag

Eurovision (Your Decision)
written and directed by Tim McArthur
with Lucy Penrose, Tim McArthur, Leigh Pollard, Steven Serlin
also Ben Watson, Leanne Jones, Maisie Sellwood, David McMullan
Wonderville, London • 29.Apr-13.May.23

Above the Stag's Eurovision (Your Decision) returns for a third triumphant year, which after the theatre's sudden closure last summer has relocated to Wonderville in the West End, as well as travelling to Brighton and this year's Eurovision host city Liverpool. It feels more confident this year, avoiding the more broadly comical numbers for more polished performances that are still blissfully ridiculous. These are sharply observed pastiche recreations of memorable songs over past decades, designed to keep the audience laughing, cheering and singing along with the up-for-it cast.

Our fabulous hosts Katie and Demetrius (Lucy Penrose and Tim McArthur) are back to lead us through a series of 15 songs that are in the running for the top prize. More than half of the numbers are new this year, including appearances from Irish legend Johnny Logan (1987 winner Hold Me Now) and Celine Dion (Switzerland's 1988 winner Ne Partez Sans Moi). We also now get to enjoy Serbia's bonkers 2022 entry In Corpore Sano, which is performed in its original Latin. 

Thankfully, the wacky Ukrainian entry Dancing Lasha Tumbai (2007) and Iceland's superb Think About Things (from the cancelled 2021 competition) are still in the running order, as are UK favourites Making Your Mind Up (1981's winner) and Flying the Flag (2007), plus an appearance from a rather hairy Sonia with the power ballad Better the Devil You Know (1993). 

Once again, a superstar guest performer arrives after the interval to belt out a couple of big numbers (Hairspray star Lizzie Bea brought the house down on press night) before the riotously silly international jury dials in with their selections, which are combined with an audience vote to declare a winner. The show is superbly written and choreographed, packed with rude innuendo, camp comedy and knowing nods to Eurovision's singular blend of outrageous musicality. 

This show is hugely physical, featuring a riot of corny wigs and costumes as the four cast members incarnate dozens of characters each in elaborately staged musical numbers. Penrose, McArthur, Leigh Pollard and Steven Serlin are gifted musicians who are unafraid to make idiots of themselves on-stage (other performers will appear throughout the run). Each has spotless comical timing that makes everything feel fresh, even as they are also in on the joke. But it's the power of the music, presented with such a skilful blend of respect and satire, that gets us on our feet.

Review of the May 2022 production: EUROVISION (YOUR DECISION?) >

Also at Floral Pavilion, Liverpool 5-6.May.23, and at Ironworks, Brighton 10-11.May.23. For information, visit ABOVE THE STAG > 

Photos by PBG Studios • 30.Apr.23