Okay what should first be noted here...1) You should go see this show whenever it is near, not kidding. 2) I'm once again struggling to write a paper...gags.
So, after a long and tedious Friday because I slept little due to paper Thursday night. I met up with Salim and Ed, the three of us raced up to Holborn, went to South Kesington, dashed (and yes I'm attempting the gym thing again now starting tomorrow, so pathetically out OF SHAPE) to the other end of the tunnel, made it to royal albert hall where Ed's girlfriend was waiting for us. We had standing seats at the very top level, but it was cool to see the stage and not bad when all was said and done. However the following account has no pictures. I shall do my best to describe, but really there is no way I will ever do it justice. EVER.
The first act was this man in a white net. It was the story of Icarus I guess, anyway his wings were taken here, and then he was folded up in this net. Think Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Then the net was clipped onto a rope hanging from the ceiling and he continued to move fluidly through all sorts of positions manipulating the net and his body in ways that cannot be adaquately elaborated on.
There were also amazing jugglers, a one man act, and then three smaller peple in chiense outfits who did these moves with spinning ropes and whatnot. I don't understand how their bodies can be so on time with one another. The skill and ability to manipulate your muscles. GEeek....
Then there were four people on this bar extended from the ceiling and held up by ropes. The four of them worked together and used each other's bodies so at times you weren't sure which legs and arms belonged to which person. it seemed dangerous though, the spotters underneath were particularly twitchy.
We also had a dumb clown act, but he got funnier as time went on, so I forgive them for that. There were warrior dancers as well, ones who did in synch fancy marching and formations. Oh and the costumes were simple, but also ridiculous too. In some acts, the natural garden setting that was the backdrop had all of these woodland creatures who had elaborate slinkly shinning lizzard like fins and the like. They moved too, in a way that was creature like, skittery and glinding, pretty freaky cool.
Then in the first scene after the second act, a guy wheeled out in this big mental wheel. Basically it had two sides to it, and he was in the middle supported by a plastic hoop that was attached to the center of each wheel which meant he could lift his feet of the ground and the wheel would keep him moving, he could also spin inside it too because of how the hold he was wearing was made...and flip upside down while it was moving. Soooo cool.
There was also a water scene. The plastic on the stage was conducive to sliding, and the "creatures" with crazy costumes performed various moves that had them being sent flying across. There was also a few pairs of acrobats that were doing those crazy moves, like holding each other up with one hand and then sitting down at the same time. Incredible body control really!
Next were these two men who were attached to ropes from the ceiling and they were gliding around in the air, at times meeting up in the air above the center of the stage, other times glilding around each other. They were then put on a robe that had two offshoots from it, and performed together. It was magical, as their body positions in "mid flight" never wavered, they were really suspended above everything. One would also say it was the greatest silent expression of power you could ever appreciate. On a flip note, the amount of connection was truly reminiscent of the greatest love story never told.
There was also a hula dancer, who was basically suspended in air again from a rope but had a wooden hula hoop that she contorted her body around in ways that were just not normal. However let me tell you, she was the most graceful figure there, the way each movement was so perfectly timed and executed, just astounding.
The second to last act, this woman who was blancing her body weight sometimes entirely on this posts (with flat surfaces) that stood about 2.5-3 feet off the ground. She was do handstands on them, and splits, and one hand backbends, another one of those freaky amount of control performers.
Last act was too hard to explain really. However there were frames, with basically swings in them, large enough for three people to stand on. The team of acrobats, with their amazing ability to do twists and what not came out. They set up this mat on a piece of floor that rose up about probably nine feet so they had a landing pad. Then two long sheets (suspended from the ceiling) were attached to the back two sides of the floor square that was now about nine feet above the stage. The performers then lanuched themselves off these swings and either landed on the sheets and slid down and off them (doing crazy flips in the air) or lanuched themselves at two men who were standing on the raised floor who caught them (like standing up! on cross arms!).
Basically an amazing night. So tired after that I crashed really early.
And now it is Sunday, I have a paper due tomorrow...time to go churn out the LSE corporate strcutured paper with no real imagination, but order there will be so help me G**
