Christmas Comes Early: NoFit State Circus Presents BIANCO for the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival

Delia Ceruti and Joachim Aussibal get tied up in NoFit State's BIANCO, photo courtesy of Seventh Wave

             NoFit State Circus has brought its Big Top tent to London as part of the Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival with a new version of its promenade show BIANCO.

             BIANCO takes the circus back to basics, in an environment that belongs to the performers who occupy the space just as much as the rapt audience who follows each heart-stopping move within it. The show is fluid, inviting the undulating audience to move forward to take a closer look and then step back to fully appreciate the beauty.

             Founded in 1986, Cardiff-based NoFit State delivers contemporary circus. The company is one of the few that still tours like a traditional circus, with everyone travelling and living together, as well as helping to put up the Big Top and operate the rigging systems in the show.

Photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton

             After Lyndall Merry, 32, from Wales completed circus training in Bristol, it was a life on the road doing what he had always dreamed of doing – trapeze. “I love performing. I get a real thrill out of performing. I love it when you’ve got a really good crowd who are giving you lots of energy. That feeling is incredible when you’re on point and everything’s easy and you’re giving to them and they’re giving back to you.”

             As well as being a trapeze artist in BIANCO, Merry is also the head rigger, which means that he designs and installs all of the flying systems. As the performers are suspended in the air, their fellow performers work in the shadows to support them with each smooth ascent and descent.

Danilo de Campos Pacheco, photo courtesy of  Maike Schulz

             Merry says, “People anticipate the hours of practice and training that go on to hone the disciplines and the skills, but it’s the technical community aspects that people don’t quite realise. They imagine that there’s a team of technical people, a team of laborers, that do the hard work, but actually, we do it.”

             If silly clowns and gimmicky balloon tricks are what you’re after, this is not the show for you. Directed by Firenza Guidi, BIANCO is both rough around the edges and tenderly executed, supported by an incredible live band.

Cecilia Zucchetti, photo courtesy of Seventh Wave

             A juggling pin goes astray here and there, while filled wine glasses wobble in the hands (and feet) of a contortionist, but the acts are done so deftly that I begin to wonder if the cast is just playing tricks on us. The contortionist in question is Ella Rose, 22, who originally hails from Australia and has joined the company for the London season of BIANCO.

             Rose points out that she was really bendy as a child, which predisposed her to contortion. Growing up in Albury, Australia, she toured with a children’s circus called the Flying Fruit Fly Circus School during her primary and secondary school years. She notes that the hard work came in when she had to learn how to be strong and how to control her body without hurting it.

Ella Rose during her contortion hand balancing act in BIANCO, photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton

             When asked what people would be surprised to know about her line of work, she laughs, “Maybe how many bruises I have that you can’t see. I think particularly for some of the work that I do, the feedback that I get afterwards is, ‘You look so beautiful and you make it look so easy’ and then I’m like, ‘My legs are six different shades of blue.’”

             There’s intentional mayhem as well as artful precision within the show. Francois Bouvier nimbly glides across the tight wire, slinking down into the splits, and Delia Ceruti rises and falls on a rope suspended in the air.

             The finale is dominated by Augusts Dakteris, who uses the strength of his body to maneuver around aerial straps, bringing the audience to a standstill. Just when I think the scene couldn’t get any more magical, it begins to snow – Christmas has come early.

Augusts Dakteris in the middle of a snowstorm, photo courtesy of Andrew Billington

            BIANCO has been seen by over a quarter of a million people in 11 different countries during its four-year run. The last time it was performed in London was in 2013 at Camden’s Roundhouse and London is now the last leg of the show before NoFit State begins research in 2017 for a new show.

             Merry says that the company has been working with the promenade style of show for 15 years, but the next goal is to create a seated show that still provides an immersive atmosphere and the same level of audience interaction.

Enni Lymi, photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton

             BIANCO will run at the Big Top, Southbank Centre, until 22 January 2017. Circus workshops, pre-show Q&A's, and seasonal performances are all available. Find out more and book tickets here. Although it is a promenade show, seats are available on request. Take advantage of the bar inside the tent, or outside at the Winter Festival, where you can warm up your hands over a fire while gazing into a big, beautiful London Eye.

Edward Scissorhands Cuts Straight to the Heart

             The true test of a great show is when the audience leaves wondering how the time could have possibly elapsed so quickly. Another is when the dance moves all look completely effortless, but you know that they are anything but easy. This is the power that choreographer/director Matthew Bourne holds with all of his dance productions. As the puppeteer who manipulates the strings, Bourne leaves you spellbound as a visionary fairytale is woven in front of your eyes. If you couldn’t tell already, I highly recommend Bourne’s work, having previously attended performances of Swan Lake (find my review here), Sleeping Beauty, and Nutcracker! Now I am able to add Edward Scissorhands to my ever-growing list. The show ends its run at Sadler’s Wells Theatre this month on the 11^th.  All tickets unsurprisingly sold out, so I apologize that they will be unavailable to purchase after I rave about it!

It's probably best that my friend and I leave it to the professionals...

             Bourne wanted to rework Edward Scissorhands for the stage ever since he saw the 1990 film directed by Tim Burton. The film has become a cult classic in its own right and usually pops up on television screens around Christmastime, just as it did this past year. If you don’t know the story, it follows quirky outsider Edward, who is the unfinished creation of an inventor who died before completing the job. Edward’s quest for love and acceptance proves not to be so easy, as his many efforts are thwarted and made more difficult due to having scissors for hands. The cookie cutter suburban town Edward finds himself in doesn’t know what has hit it!

 Johnny Depp, the Edward Scissorhands we have come to know and love, "teetered on the verge of tears throughout" Matthew Bourne's production and paid a visit to the cast backstage, photo courtesy of Sky TV

             Edward Scissorhands is a beautiful story in general, but when it’s coupled with tender dancing to music from Danny Elfman and Terry Davies, we are left with an even more melancholic and enchanting story. As with all of Bourne’s productions, the stage is a hotbed of activity. Since no talking is involved, the dancers have to rely on relaying nonverbal cues and facial expressions to the audience. This assumes a certain amount of perception from the audience members, because with such a busy atmosphere, it is up to us what we decide to hone in on and what we decide to leave in the periphery.

Domesticating Edward, photo courtesy of Johan Persson

             For example, take the scene where the residents attend a Christmas dance. Edward starts to feel awkward and ashamed as he sizes up the dancers around him, each with two perfect hands. He cowers away from the dance floor, opting instead to slope around the outskirts. The embarrassment on his face is apparent and the longing he feels for Kim, who is dancing with her boyfriend Jim, is written all over his face. I divided my attention between the rest of the cast dancing and Edward, because by himself, his body language and pained visage told a story of its own accord. Details like this are precisely what will draw audiences to Bourne’s productions over and over again. Your observational skills and level of appreciation will continue to grow right alongside your number of viewings.

Photo courtesy of Johan Persson

             The idyllic neighborhood is made up of quaint homes and quaint people. The houses are painted in cheery hues, with cheery faces that emerge and retreat from their doors. There are the obligatory cheerleaders, jocks, doting mothers, and hardworking fathers. Despite appearances, the town holds its fair share of secrets as well. Joyce is a lonely housewife who regularly cheats on her husband and that shines through in her brilliant, sexualized dancing persona. She tries to seduce a very confused and frightened Edward, while the religious fanatics try to repel Edward with their crosses and prayers.

Photo courtesy of Johan Persson

             The breathtaking set borrows recognizable Burton-esque elements from the film. However, as to be expected, there are unique alterations that add a spin to the original. Edward finds nifty alternative uses for his “hands,” such as pruning bushes and hedges into animals, ice carving (which involves a scene with a gorgeous ice angel sculpture prop), and even making a job out of giving the neighbors “edgy” new haircuts. The production introduces a lovely dream sequence where Edward imagines that he has real hands. He is able to flirtatiously chase Kim around a garden made up of shrubs and trees decorated into shapes, which are actually people. They playfully join Edward and Kim’s game, concealing and revealing the two blissful imaginary lovebirds.

Edward and Kim share a tender moment, photo courtesy of Johan Persson

             As for Dominic North, who plays our antihero Edward, anyone who can forgo opposable thumbs, trade them in for workable scissors (albeit false ones), and still manage to dance gracefully must automatically be dubbed as a seriously standout dancer. Indeed, North was nominated for Outstanding Male Dancer at the National Dance Awards in 2010. The irony of Edward Scissorhands though is the fact that Edward is gentle and peaceful. He doesn’t use his “scissorhands” with malicious intent, although he could well do. Jim, however, is rough and ready with his hands, using force with Kim and having an eventual blowout with Edward.

The neighborhood kids, with Kim and Jim front and center, photo courtesy of Johan Persson

             The story stands as a testament to human nature; we lash out against and attack what we don’t understand. Just as we are about to claim that nice guys don’t always finish last and Edward and Kim finally kiss, Edward is exiled once more to his former house upon the hill. As the cast took their final curtain call, they stayed in character until the very end, and as the applause subsided, we were all left wondering how the time could have possibly elapsed so quickly.

             For upcoming performances at Sadler’s Wells, visit the theatre’s website here. Explore the Edward Scissorhands production on the New Adventures website here. New Adventures is Bourne’s company with co-director Robert Noble.

Photo courtesy of Johan Persson

Join the (Little) Revolution

Ian played by Barry McCarthy (left), Alan Dein played by Rufus Wright (center) and Alecky Blythe as herself (right) with her recurrently occurring Dictaphone, photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             After my four-month hiatus from London, I arrived safely and soundly back to the great city just over a week ago. With university classes the furthest thing from my mind, one of my first orders of business was to meet up with the Almeida. Before the boxes in my flat were even unpacked, I enthusiastically made my third trip to date to the quaint theatre in Islington. (For a refresher on the other plays I have seen at the Almeida, read my American Psycho review here and my 1984 review here).

     This time, the subject matter was slightly more somber and heavily weighted, due to the playwright’s direct interaction with real world events. I’m referring to the London riots of 2011, the events of which Alecky Blythe revisited in her verbatim play Little Revolution. This was my first experience attending a verbatim performance. In fact, there were many theatre firsts for me on that evening.

Kyle (Bayo Gbadamosi) gives the police a piece of his mind, photo courtesy of  Manuel Harlan

             Verbatim theatre uses the spoken, unaltered words of actual people who have been interviewed. In this case, Blythe toted her Dictaphone around the streets of London while the riots and relief efforts were occurring, in the desire to create what she coined a “documentary play.” She spoke with others about the unfolding events, managing to capture the true essence and emotion of what was intended in that instance.

             In regards to how that translates to the stage, the original accent, intonation, delivery, and speech pattern of the witnesses all remain the same, with actors filling in for the original individuals. Expect word for word reproductions, where no “um’s,” “ah’s,” awkward silences, or personality quirks go amiss. A very nice touch was when Blythe (starring as herself) forgot to turn her Dictaphone on. We watched on in silence as Blythe and Colin (played by Lucian Msamati) mimed to one another, only comprehending the few fragments we could lip-read.

Hackney residents Colin (Lucian Msamati) and Deanne (Clare Perkins), photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             From the onset of entering the stalls where I was seated, I was awestruck by the Almeida’s transformation yet again. The stage has morphed every time I have visited, adapting to each creative endeavor. In place of a stage, there was instead what I can only refer to as an allocated show space. The auditorium made standing seats available, while all clear dividing lines between seated audience members and the cast had vanished. I felt as if it was “story time,” and like a gaggle of geese, we were all crowded around, ears perked, ready to be told a good tale. 

Lloyd Hutchinson lays down the law, photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             Perhaps a community meeting would be a more appropriate comparison. The energy of the play was so electrically charged, mimicking the pent-up anger and frustration, impassioned cries, and sometimes nonsensical nature that surrounded the riots. Blythe clutched her Dictaphone for dear life, especially during one scene when she was confronted by a looter concerned about whether she had any photo evidence of his misdeed. 

Rez Kempton as Siva (center), whose shop has been destroyed in the riots, surrounded by the support of the Community Chorus, photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             Starring alongside Blythe were professional and non-professional actors alike. Little Revolution honed in on Hackney particularly. This is why I was delighted to learn that of the 31 volunteers (aged 16-74) forming the Community Chorus, some of them were recruited from Hackney, along with Islington and other London boroughs. This added to the already raw performance, granting it more depth and sincerity. 

Mother Jane (Ronni Ancona) voices her concerns about the police mistreatment of her son, photo courtesy of  Manuel Harlan

             During the show, I was subjected to a few heart-stopping scenarios. Outside of normal procedure, the theatre doors that open into the foyer of the Almeida flew wide open. Clanging and clattering noises and blinding lights overpowered the arena in a frenzied recreation of the riots. The cast began “looting,” grasping Pringle cans, a television set, and whatever else they could get their hands on as they made their speedy getaway. This “mini” revolution as the sage Colin commented was hardly any different to any major revolution. He observed that they all have fire and they all have looting. 

Dynamic duo Tony (Michael Shaeffer) and Sarah (Imogen Stubbs) take a stand to help Siva, photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             Resentment was omnipresent in the show, whether towards the police, the looters, or the younger residents of Hackney. However, we did glimpse the other side of the story, a story that hinted towards hope. Couple Tony (Michael Shaeffer) and Sarah (Imogen Stubbs) rallied a team together to host a tea party for raising moral (with an unfortunately low turnout), while meetings were organized and flyers handed out in the hopes of lessening the criminalization of Hackney youth. 

Melanie Ash speaks out as an activist while the Community Chorus listens in the background, photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             Blythe’s social commentary exemplified a community of people both simultaneously wanting to help and wanting to complain while turning a blind eye. Ignorance is indeed bliss, but then there’s the other saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Little Revolution offered plenty of nervous laughter to go around and there is always plenty of tea to go around. The activists ironically utilized stationary and tea products boasting, “I love Hackney.” While this sentiment remained genuine, the words are empty unless they are supported with actions reflecting it. Let us leave on the note of Ian’s (Barry McCarthy) perfectly succinct food for thought: “The idea is just to talk to one another.” Let us not just talk, but let us listen. 

Ian sums it up: "The idea is just to talk to one another," photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan

             Get involved and catch Little Revolution at the Almeida Theatre up until October 4^th. Book your tickets here.  

             [Author’s Note: London was not the only area affected by violence and carnage during the summer or 2011. Manchester, just to name one city, was also hit and I was there during the time all of these events were surfacing. I was on the last bus allowed out of the city center of Manchester for that evening. I only learned this later, alongside the news that the Miss Selfridge store I ate lunch across from had been set on fire by rioters.]

Sarah adds some flower power to the revolution, photo courtesy of Manuel Harlan