Theater Review

Back to Review Index Go to the Home Page

Let me Live Dance production, with Queen music
  Landestheater Detmold, Premiere 20.11.04
 
  As the first piece that was created while I was in this company, this production is judged by different standards.
  But what do I think of it? Well... small description first: It is targeted at a younger audience, in their teens (or there abouts.) The inspiration came from an american film, Bowling for Columbine, about gun-control and violence in schools. It is about (in my understanding,) the unpopular "Dork" of the class, his problems (those at home and at school.) The whole thing is accented by his idealistic dream sequences, and culminates in his... bringing a gun into the class...
  And there, it's left open: He has a dream of vanquishing his enemies... but in the end, he just sits there and thinks more about it. I think this was a good way of ending it, because it forces the public, (in a way,) to contemplate the whole thing. In wondering "Will he open fire," the audience thinks about "Does he really have reasons to resort to such an extremity?"
  Now then... the Dancing style... I carefully put as "Dance Production," because it's not ballet. or modern, or neo-classic, or... much of anything I can recognise. It has that shadow of ... show-dance, which is common in the choreographer's work (I mean of the Big Musicals and Stage Production styles.) It gets hard to talk about though, because I have never Seen this piece: Only once, have I watched a little on video. So, all my impressions are those I have from being in it.
  And what have I to say?
  My favourite moment, is the dream sequence of Love, where my fellow Canadian colleague is the object of his affection. It is over-the-top, impassioned, purist, puppy love, but... they look good doing it. I can't say any moment of my dancing has my preference, but then, my part is not one I can enjoy; I am the tough bastard.
  I am the bully, who takes the main character's lunch, girls, peace of mind, homework, game-boy, money, cigarettes, and every bit of self-respect. I am such an utterly insensitive bastard. I really don't like the roll, but I play it as well as I can. And I guess that Jero (the main character,) and I do a good job of it, because two of my friends now, have come up to me, and told me how much they hated me, and felt that I didn't deserve to exist, (during the performance.) So... hooray. We played it well, and got reactions. I only wish that I wasn't playing the evil antagonist. -sigh.
  I feel moderately impressed with the sets... or lack thereof; I think there was little budget to work with for this production, but it didn't suffer from that. The lighting is well done, (I think,) and all we have on stage are chairs (and our props.) There's not even a backdrop. It's a bare black wall... which fits fine with the school concept, and I think it looks modestly realistic (and I hope not just poorly budgeted, which I could imagine. I have never watched, so I don't know.)
  The music, all by Queen, is all right for dancing to. But, if you know me, you know that music like this doesn't inspire me greatly. Now then, the one scene that I would speak of, is called "Street Fighter," like the video game. It is the dream sequence in which He is all mighty, and beats me up. And the idea is that it represents the glorified violence of contemporary culture; We started by thinking about how kids view violence in video games, and the movement styles that are in those games. Then there were also movies: we researched scenes from Matrix and Charlie's Angels to see how the Hollywood glorified fighting looked. What came from all of this, is one of the more memorable sections of the piece, where we are switching between regular speed and Slow-Mo, and where he is so strong, and -"Cool" in his fighting.
  (This later made me think of how much more fighting permeates our culture. Mutant Ninja turtles? Power Rangers? Sailor Moon? violence for kids. Computer and video games, violence for teens. pretty much all "action" films are violence for adults. Hock? Do they NEED to fight so much? And the depressingly popular apex of violence. Fighting only for the spectacle of it. Pro-Wrestling.
  Is it just me, or are these apes even less evolved than gorillas banging sticks together to appear tougher. And So many people will devotedly watch this?)
  Back to the dance... the whole theme looks at what a messed up culture we have, through the person of the young social outcast. It is not a gentle topic, but one that does need addressing by society.
  And... I doubt that I have anything else to say about the performance now... so I ought to stop writing. Pax, and ... let's see if we can't all work together to minimise violence in this world.

  M.
Written 09.05.04, and 13.05.04