Conceptualised, and in part performed, by Swiss duo Martin Zimmerman and Dimitri de Perrot, Oper Opis is a mesmerising, lingering, treat that kicks off London International Mime Festival 2010.
As tonight's audience file in, Zimmerman and de Perrot are already on stage, unassumingly (and quite literally) setting the scene. By the time the audience have realised that the performance has started in earnest, this interesting opening device has served its purpose. It draws us in and displays how even the most complicated, choreographed of symphonies have their genesis in the minutiae of daily life.
In my mind's eye, the word mime provokes clownish expressions of aghast disgust for theatre-going aficionados. Up until now the full extent of my experience of mime in performance is walking down Las Ramblas and watching a dog relieve himself on the leg of a man trapped in a glass elevator. In my ignorance, I had no idea what to expect from Öper Öpis (Something Someone).
The show is about a quest for balance, through which Zimmerman inadvertently sets off a chain of events. Zimmerman is initially roused from slumber by a singular beat, created on stage by de Perrot. The sound is instantaneously recorded, then looped and layered to create a soundtrack that haunts, tortures and galvanises Zimmerman as he scurries across the stage. His mission is no mean feat, as the stage is set on an axis, tipping all the while.
There are five further characters who fleetingly interact with Zimmerman, but unsettle and frustrate him with their combinations of contemporary dance and gymnastics, that astound the audience with arresting tableauxs. In full flow each individual demands attention. Whether as an ensemble or a solo performance they are compelling, and to focus too much on one or the other is to miss the exceptional level of craft taking place on the stage.
There are innumerable impressive moments, from the fine detail, to the simply breathtaking. Exactly how did Zimmerman manage to get his tie from his neck to around his head while being hurled through the air? His skilled landing is a humorous pastiche of an ineffectual karate kid.
Midway through a display of astonishing acrobatics, there is a slip, reminding us of the skill and intricacy of the performance. But then, during an awe-inspiring balancing act, there's a twist that makes of a mockery of their earlier 'mistake'. It's a nod to the crowd, to say, “you couldn't do this, but we certainly can. And we do it with pinpoint accuracy.” From this point on the energy levels soar, delighting and frankly frightening us with their masterly expertise, producing stunts that in this age of CGI and wires defy the limits of what should be humanly possible.
The London International Mime Festival 2010 runs at The Barbican until 31.01.10
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