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| Raoul Craemer Photo: Andrew Sikorski |
Written and Directed
by Chenoeh Miller
C-written
and performed by Chris Endrey, Nick Delatovic, Oliver Levi-Malouf,
Raoul
Craemer and Erica Field.
Composition
and Sound Design by Dane Alexander
Dance
Choreography by Alison Plevey
Technical
Design and Operation by Ben Atkinson
Presented by
Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres and Little Dove Theatre art
Ralph Wilson
Theatre, 28th November to 3rd December
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
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| Oliver Levi-Malouf and Raoul Craemer Photo: Andrew Sikorski |
Presented as
the final work in the 2017 Ralph Indie season, “Tristan: A Song for the
Superior Man” is an experimental ensemble work, performed by four men and one
woman, which sets out to explore the notion of what it takes to be a good man. Combining
physical theatre, story, song, dance with strong butoh elements, Miller, and
her collaborators, have taken a series
of stories, some the experiences of her cast, others from various sources, and
used them for the basis of a clever work laden with arresting images.
Excellent
sound and lighting, a minimalist design, and a quintet of committed, talented
actors, has resulted in an intriguing production which puzzles and fascinates, while
challenging its audience to ponder the issues it raises.
It begins
with a half-naked man furiously exercising himself to exhaustion, before slowly
dressing and joining four others dressed in blue business suits. A mirror ball flashes
as a drag-queen belts out “I Need a Hero”, while the suited quartet perform a
unison routine, their faces contorted by desperately fixed smiles.
Slowly they
begin to undress the drag queen, then, one by one, share stories commenting on
their experiences of maleness. One, compellingly narrated by Chris Endrey,
tells of a gentle musician driven to violence by a wife who is herself
infuriated by his insistence on being a “good man”.
The episodes
are executed slowly and deliberately, butoh style, which sometimes invites
boredom. One long voice-over monologue, in which an addled female tortured
herself trying to rationalise gender issues, would certainly benefit from
judicious editing. However the direction is so artful, and the individual performances
so skilful, that the very slowness itself becomes mesmeric, allowing the observer to study every move, and wonder what the next might be.
Because the
intention behind many of the episodes is not always clear, each audience member
will have their own interpretation according to their individual experience. However,
as an experimental production, “Tristan: A Song for the Superior” certainly
justifies the Ralph Indie imprimatur in its embrace of innovation and
experimentation. For those willing to embrace the experience, it provides a challenging,
unusual, meticulously crafted and surprisingly entertaining theatrical
experience.
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review. www.artsreview.com.au