OUT OF CHAOS.
Gravity and Other Myths. Directed by Darcy Grant. Scott Theatre. Adelaide Festival 2019. February 27 – March 6. 2019.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
Like an astronaut floating in
space, I am blown away by Gravity and Other Myths new out of this world show, Out Of Chaos. I have seen it all before,
the gymnastics, the tumbling, the balancing the hula hooping and the sinewy
feats of muscular strength. But never like this. Never with such daring, such
trust, such humour and such graceful, elegant anddisciplined control.The show’s unostentatious seeming simplicity conceals
the enormous complexity of its art Gravity and Other Myths take circus and
acrobatics to a new echelon, a stellar
spectacle of gravity defying artistry. The timing is daring, risk- taking and
defies not only gravity but the gasping risk of danger. One slip, one lapse of
steely concentration, one perilous distraction and life and limb pay the
perilous price. There is no net to break the fall, no soft surface on the hard
stage floor.
The lady next to me covers her
mouth in fearful anticipation as a performer is flung high into the air across
the stage, only to land safely in the arms of companions. The performance transcends the
dispassionate display of acrobatic skill. We watch a dance, transported with
each breath into a world of wonder. Timing is all and we are carried along by
the dance, floating with the performers through the air, reaching for the sky
as we watch the three high dissolve before our eyes. The stage becomes a
swirling kaleidoscope of terpsichorean patterns, weaving and intertwining as
bodies tumble and fly, hurled through the air or swung in revolving turns.as the lighting flows with its own colourful dance of son et
lumiere.
Suddenly the pattern breaks and
the MC thrusts his microphone into the
faces to record their impressions of the moment. It is the moment to catch the
breath and for an instant to show us
that these are ordinary people performing extraordinary feats of strength and
agility. Only one member of the company spoke with clarity and many of the
throw away comments were lost. Perhaps I had hoped for the same precision of
pronunciation that I was witnessing in their precisely rehearsed and marvellously
performed physical theatre.
All that aside, I remained
mesmerized by the hula hoop duet, the flinging and the perfectly choreographed
sequences, the clarity and exactness of control, executed with finely honed
practice, combined with a touch of unostentatious showmanship. The pizzazz is
understated and unnecessary. true talent needs no excess and Out of Chaos restores equilibrium and
harmony to time and space.
This is one of those unblemished
gems that sparkles with its own brilliance in a festival of jewels. Standing
ovations too often come with undeserved ease. The spontaneous standing ovation at the end of Out of Chaos is testimony
enough to the magical spell cast over young and old members of an entranced audience.