So a couple of weeks ago I went to see Can we Talk about This? at the National Theatre. Since DV8 are a
big inspiration for our show Undercovered
I thought I might write a review style blog about it. Like I say it was a few
weeks ago so forgive me if it’s not a particularly well written review.
Can we Talk about This?
is a show by DV8, one of the leading companies who perform physical
theatre. It explores issues of multiculturalism and the connotations that go
with it. More specifically it is addressing Islamist ideology and its impact on
Western countries over the last few decades. It made a fairly bold, and some
might say, controversial standpoint on the issue, asserting that we, as a
country, shouldn’t let events slide just because of their connection with religious
beliefs. Perhaps that’s not the best description of the show but hopefully it
gives you a vague idea. There is no particular narrative as such, DV8 present a
montage of scenes that follows some of the Islam-related controversies through
recent history (Western European). The whole play was physicalised, if I remember
right. As you might expect there were some fantastic moments of physicality,
even the more detailed rhythm changes in movement were quite impressive. However,
it did lack some ‘pop’. What I wanted was a little more variation; towards the
end of the play the dance style got a little but ‘samey’. It was mostly on one
level – and that applies dramatically as well. The atmosphere was introduced
and maintained throughout without massive variation. The main moment that there
was a break in this, was when an ‘audience member’ threw something on stage
exclaiming ‘This is Islamophobic shit!’ I thought this was a terribly organised
moment. Perhaps it’s because I study theatre but I saw straight through it,
clearly it was a plant: would the stage manager really walk on stage to pick up
whatever was thrown (I was too far back to make out what it was). I doubt it.
And in modern theatre I’d be surprised if anyone was outraged enough by
anything to actually stand up against it (unless they are encouraged to like in
immersive theatre production Audience by
Ontroerend Goed). It felt like a gimmick to try and make us think more
personally about the issues on stage. I might have interpreted it all wrong but
I didn’t particularly like it.
So overall, I really
enjoyed it! Sorry, I know if you read back it might not look like that, I’ve
picked on some specific bits which I didn’t like. Maybe I’ve been a bit harsh.
But really, the movement and physical aspects were great! They present some
interesting ideas (not sure if I necessarily agree, similarly not sure if I disagree,
so I’m on the fence but it does make you think, I now feel like I should
research this area to make a proper opinion of it all) and it is a decent piece
of theatre.
Not sure if the show is running, but here is the trailer if you're interested:
Oli Back
Hey Oli,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting your review, tis really useful to see your opinion on it! I went to see the show a few weeks ago and felt similarly about the 'sameness' of the physicality. I also felt that, at times, there wasn't a strong enough connection between what they were physically doing, and what they were saying. The middle seemed to involve a lot of running around that didn't seem to be suggesting much apart from 'groups can intimidate individuals', which didn't seem to need 10 minutes to get across!
However, some bits were rather amazing - what did you think of the woman drinking tea while balancing on the big guy? That was a rather amazing piece of movement, I felt like they connected the dialogue and the movement to create justification for it.
Interestingly, I didn't see the 'plant' coming at all, in contrast to you, and was totally convinced it was real until I read the Billington review that said the same thing had happened when he saw it! Do you agree with the idea that it was a counterproductive move, as people became distracted by thinking about it for the rest of the show?
Kai Green
I agree entirely that the piece, although incorporating some beautifully gripping physicality, was somewhat monotonous. I was disappointed not to see more projection and I thought the piece lacked in ensemble work. As a performance based on such a controversial issue, however, this layout seems to me to have been thought through; the persistent solo and duet performances representing the minorities that are attempting to speak out.
ReplyDeleteI too felt that the audience member throwing an object on stage was very unrealistic and somewhat controversial in terms of it perhaps stepping outside the box of verbatim theatre. I was not able to see the thrower but I have heard from other audience members that he appeared to be Muslim. This to me seems a very forward comment to make, implying through a representative that Muslims share the view that those speaking out against Islam are speaking "Islamaphobic shit". The piece was in itself very controversial so this is fitting in some ways, but to display it as a piece of verbatim when in fact it was staged suggests an outsider's level of controversy with DV8 making their own personal statement. It was for me too the stage hand that made this section most unrealistic. Having seen DV8's work before it was clear to me that had this incident really happened the cast would have continued to perform in a professional manner, not breaking the theatrical immersion.
Despite this, I thought the piece was a fantastically brave commentary on a very tentative issue, portrayed through movements that at points were mesmerising.
Rachel Hartzell