HIGHLY ORIGINAL, MULTILAYERED, OUTSTANDINGLY EXECUTED |
 |
) Sleep/Wake Direction & Design: Sam Trubridge Creative Collaborator: Professor Philippa Gander Presented by Massey University. A collaboration between the Sleep/Wake Research Centre and The Playground (NZ Ltd) at Auckland Town Hall, Auckland From 7 Mar 2009 to 10 Mar 2009 Reviewed by Natalie Dowd, 8 Mar 2009 |
"Without sleep there would be no new beginnings in our lives."
The award winning Sleep/Wake is a collaborative effort by the Sleep Research centre at Massey University and The Playground (NZ Ltd).Originally performed as part of the Wellington Fringe festival in 2008 extra support and funding has been given to enable its showing at this Auckland festival.
Philippa Gander (Sleep scientist) and Sam Trubridge Director/Designer) with his team have created an installation piece where Science meets design meets dance in a most original and evocative way, exploring the realm into which we all delve each time we sleep. As the programme explains, Gander's research focuses on the circadian biological clock that governs brain and body functions through each 24 hour cycle, and in particular has focused on the consequences of disruptions to the natural rhythms that occur through the choices we make in modern life.
As we are lead into the darkened shell that the Town Hall has become I am instantly struck and captivated by the solitary figure of a man whose command of stillness is so consummate my theatre partner asks me, "Is he real?"
In the dim light above the block seating I am able to read that the man is Jamie Burgess, The Orator.
The audience is lulled from the start by the sound of somnolent breathing from the form lying in the bed wired with a monitoring contraption. Through the door frame those of us in the centre of the seating can view Burgess in his long satin bodice and flowing skirt from the back, an elegant snake-like creature crossed with an Egyptian hieroglyph.
Jamie Burgess as the orator is a commanding performer, poetry adding to the brilliant articulation explaining the workings of our brain as we fall asleep. All the while behind him the five electrical impulses cast their elegant, rather beautiful patterns across set and chest.
The frenetic pace of modern life and the consequences it has on our circadian rhythms are graphically and at times humorously illustrated as The Orator calls numbers between 1 and 24, dictating the movements of the Sleeper, Elise Chan. As the numbers change and speed up, her activities of daily life become chaotic and the sensory overload is evident.
As part one comes to a close The Orator tells us that memory and logic are suppressed and the limbic system creates intense sensation. The door opens to the pre dream phase and it is the first of many inventive changes that occur to the set.
Bevan Smith's soundscape begins, making me feel like I'm inside a pulsating engine as the rumbling reverberates through my body and the set moves revealing the lithe forms of dancers Elizabeth Barker and Maria Dubrowska.
The dance duet that ensues in unison is languid, sustained, and as the choreographic sequence is developed, falls and curls are punctuated with the odd sudden jerk conveying how beautifully out of control the body becomes as sleep creeps lusciously and the dreaming begins.
We are constantly reminded of the zany and absurd within a dream as humour is injected into the piece through the appearance of The Bear and other off-beat and storybook creatures manipulating the set and spinning the dancers on the beds within an inch of their lives. The interplay between the characters and elements is very fluid and overall I find the piece well paced in its reflection of the varying stages, mysteries and surprises of sleep.
The move into Greek mythology is unexpected, and there are some clever surprises. In Orator/Orpheus's grief at losing Euridyce, the shedding of his costume which becomes her strapless dress symbolising her departure back into the underworld is an unexpected and most poignant moment. His song of mourning into the sink both accompanied and a capella and the water dripping and overflowing appears to symbolise a river of tears, filling the space with water.
The lighting design by Marcus McShane transforms the cavern and set throughout, creating striking effects from the elegant casting of shadows, and minimal red torchlight transforming a hand into a flame, to the sudden crashing on and off of the house lights.
When the dream becomes a nightmare and the darker side of the unconscious emerges in sleep the visual and textural feast continues, overtaking the senses and mind as the dancers embark on a stunning succession of grotesque shapes and limbs, flying around the set awash with water from the overflowing sink.
The forceful appearance of Josh Rutter is both a surprise and a pleasure to watch, his dynamism adding to wet and wild choreography, cacophony of sound and sensual cloud of feathers.
Humour juxtaposing horror, quirky tapping, and a series of seemingly improvised movement by Kristian Larsen on the mezzanine makes excellent and creative use of the space. It's a shame that some audience members would have been deprived of all the action, particularly the dancers on the floor upstage. I want to see everything and can't, but on reflection, this is exactly what happens within a dream space loaded with action. The enthralling scene with all elements combined builds and briefly assaults the senses but is contained before it becomes overwhelming.
In the subsequent Skype call, the words are not always clear, and I lose some meaning and part of the thread and wonder what pivotal links to the mythological episode I have just missed. My theatre partner suggests pithily that they use broadband rather than dial up.
In the final scene, we are left with a blissful image in phosphorescent particles that signal a resolution, reminiscent of the seductive security of deep sleep.
As the houselights come on I feel wakened as if from a dreamlike state that comes from being drawn into another dimension so brilliantly. The vivid images and thought-provoking moments remind me of the wonderment and sometimes bewildered feeling that one often has when waking. I try to hold on and relive the dream and make sense of it all as I walk through what now looks like the remains of a giant pillow fight.
It is not surprising Sleep/Wake has been supported and brought into wider view. It is highly original, multilayered and outstandingly executed. Don't be caught sleeping. This clever work that is perfectly in the spirit of festival culture is not to be missed.
_______________________________
For more production details, click on the title above. Go to Home page to see other Reviews, recent Comments and Forum postings (under Chat Back), and News.
See also reviews by:
Raewyn Whyte (New Zealand Herald);
Lyne Pringle
Helen Sims (The Lumiere Reader);