Jo Sutherland enjoys the two-hour visual feast that is Re-orientations at Soho Theatre.
Border Crossings joins forces with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and artists from China, France, India, and Sweden to present a unique theatrical collaboration. Created by an international company, Re-Orientations draws on a range of cultures, languages and performance techniques from Swedish naturalism to the all-female Shanghai yue opera and the all-male Indian form Yakshagana. Blurring the lines between straight drama, comedy, contemporary dance, physical theatre and cinematic art, Re-Orientations is most simply be described as a collection of stories from lives across the globe, which unexpectedly unite.
Re-Orientations, conceived and directed by Michael Walling, opens energetically in a Shanghai nightclub and we’re presented with faceless-clubbers in a pit of laser beams. This is the first course of a two-hour visual feast.
Set in the aftermath of a young woman’s suicide, the play brings together seemingly disconnected lives. From China, we travel to Pondicherry on the South Indian Coast, where a mother half-heartedly battles with tsunami relief in India as she focuses on media coverage to raise her own profile. A phone call with news of her estranged daughter’s death shatters her world and collides with a multitude of lives across continents. In the midst of this tragedy, two Swedish actors, a rather fiery couple, arrive in Asia to perform Miss Julie at the Shanghai International Arts Festival. Having to contend with a non-English-speaking and somewhat incompetent Chinese technical team, the rehearsals are trying to say the least.
Injections of humour are dispersed throughout the performance. The magic of the simple set and background projector screen transports the audience on a global odyssey. Stunning imagery collides with a powerful physical style and vivid storytelling in this multi-cultural and multi-media explosion of East-meets-West. Performance and cinematic art are juxtaposed with music from the likes of John Adams, Ludwig van Beethoven and Pink Floyd – but it works so well!
There were outstanding performances by Spatica Ramanujam with her exemplary comic timing and superb characterisation, and Qi Bai Xue’s striking stage presence coupled with a humble sensitivity made his performance a poignant and memorable one. Artistic Director Michael Walling says: “Re-Orientations is a fast-paced adventure that challenges cultural perceptions at every turn” and I am in complete agreement.
Click here to read Naima's interview with director Michael Walling
Re-Orientations runs at Soho Theatre until September 25th
Click here for more Fringe Theatre in London
Click here for Theatre in London
Click here for Things to do in London
Add an event
Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...