Mixed performances and an unsubtle script leave Fast a little unsatisfying as it never allows itself to elaborate on the themes established without being painfully obvious. Fast never really gets off the ground in this slightly unengaging, confused story about manipulation and coercion.
Anupama Chandrasekhar’s play is an onslaught of misogyny, violence against women and shock tactics, which leads to an unsettling, if a little glib, two hours of drama. Ibsen’s Ghosts is one of the entities that inspire the narrative, particularly focusing in this instance on a father’s sins. The true story of the girl gang-raped in Delhi, India in 2012 is another inspiration. It’s a heavy evening, filled with bold decisions and potent symbolism.
Courtesy of Mark Douet.
An exceptionally intimate reconsideration of hyper-masculinity, Shook is brilliantly structured in its damning condemnation of a system that leaves many without aspirations. Although it’s a little on the nose at times, Samuel Bailey and Papatango manage to present a compelling narrative of three young offenders facing unanswerable questions.
Welcome to Bear Ridge, a snowy mountain village suspended in time, once thriving but now forgotten. Ed Thomas’s setting for On Bear Ridge possesses an uncanny resemblance to the current neglected valleys of Wales – places that have been lost to the attractive cities that chug with power and production. Cities that have no time for the sleepy likes of John Daniel (Rhys Ifans) and Noni (Rakie Ayola), the convivial shop owners of Bear Ridge Stores who, with slaughterhouse boy Ifan William (Sion Daniel Young), refuse to leave their much loved home.
Courtesy of Mark Douet.
Over the top and elaborately self-deprecating, High Fidelity plays on masculine displacement of responsibility while offering a slightly tropey adaptation of Nick Hornby’s romcom of the same name. No matter how witty, charming, occasionally perceptive and colourful this musical is; I can’t help but leave with a feeling of something being missing.
Courtesy of Mark Senior.
After his rather unsuccessful venture Caspar Western Friedrich, director Philippe Quesne returns to the Münchner Kammerspiele with a pastoral set in a dystopian future. Humanity has finally succeeded in destroying itself. Only four scarecrows remain on a farm, archivists of the past who run their own radio station.
Courtesy of Martin Argyroglo.
Four actors dressed up as scarecrows enter the stage, carrying hay bales, partially decorated with political slogans, and singing, “I’m Walking to a Farm to Grow Wheat”. They are wearing masks, and hay is sticking out of their hand-me-down clothes. Their voices sound alien. One scarecrow seems to record a bird singing but the sad truth is that all the birds have become extinct and the birdsong is just the playback of a recording. What a pity that scarecrows were always working to keep the birds away, and now they are sorely missed. This thought is too much for Sissi (Julia Riedler), she turns off the recording. The scarecrows share stories about the farmers for whom they used to work. All of them are dead. Most of them having taken their lives because industrialised farming and glyphosate destroyed their farms. Only the genetically modified super cows survived. When the insects died, the birds died. Maybe they committed suicide as well? They decide that this might be a good topic for one of their radio shows. Suddenly a French scarecrow, who has been an avid listener to their pirate station, arrives. A former activist, whoused to attend protests against pollution and climate change, he would like to join this community of scarecrows. He is welcomed with open arms.
Although Quesne’s production features an apocalyptic future, the scarecrows remain optimistic. Globi (Stefan Merki), who used to work on an organic farm, actually finds one remaining queen bee named Margrit, who is immediately interviewed for the radio program. Globi has to interpret for Margrit because she speaks only Swiss German. The interview concludes with a rendition of the song “Stand by Me”, dedicated to the last queen bee flying. After quite a bit of slapstick and beckettian moments, we find out that the scarecrows are really “carecrows” guarding a huge truck filled with magical glowing eggs, which they intend to take into the world to hopefully create new life.
Kammerspiele actors Julia Riedler, Stefan Merki und Damien Rebgetz are joined by Léo Gobin and Gaetan Vourc´h from the Théatre Nanterre-Amandiers in Paris, the co-producer of this world premiere. Their performances are convincing and provide subtle comedy.
Usually there is very little dialogue in a Duquesne production but this time the scarecrows are quite talkative. They sing and recite Shakespearean verses and poetry, mostly in English. Their voices are so alienated that the text is rather difficult to understand. This is another aspect – just like the elaborate masks – that reminds one of Susanne Kennedy’s work. Both directors tend to focus on the visual aspects of a production, and Quesne worked in stage design before founding the Vivarium Studio Company.
There are intriguing images and amusing scenes in this highly theatrical production, but the play drags on a bit. Quesne touches upon a number of philosophical and political questions, however he does not delve too deeply and maintains a chilled and rather joyful atmosphere. 3/5
Review written by Carolin Kopplin.
FARM FATALE will return on 27th October and 10th November 2019. For more info, click here…
The production is in English, there is also a bit of German and French.
Zinnie Harris’ Meet Me At Dawn was first performed at the Traverse Theatre in Scotland in 2017 and is now receiving its London première at the Arcola Theatre. The audience finds the two protagonists, Robyn played by Marianne Oldham and Helen played by Jessica Hardwick, marooned on a deserted beach.
In this production of The Wheel by Zinnie Harris, the audience is exposed to war in many forms. Sometimes, it feels like World War I, sometimes more contemporary wars are alluded to in this patchwork display of conflicts. The overall effect displaces the action from any one specific known war, making the story feel more universal and reflecting a more general sense of disaster.
Courtesy of Mihaela Bodlovic.
An aspect of humanity in which we all find ourselves having to deal with at some point or other is that of loss. How each of us deals with mortality is unique to our own personal experiences. How loss is dealt with and viewed upon is also determined by one’s cultural norms and practises – Gregory Maqoma’s Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero observing the role of a professional mourner – a role originating in Egypt , China, Mediterranean and Eastern cultures.
Timeless and troubling The Permanent Way is a damning diagnosis of a flawed system that undermines the individual’s voice. David Hare’s 2003 analysis of power and aftermath considers the individual experience in a system that puts financial success above all. Striking contrasts between those who suffer and those who make the problematic vindictive rules, Hare questions the status quo and poses the argument that perhaps it is not a broken system but a fully functioning and deeply exploitative structure.
