Review: Bright Black at the Byre Theatre
By Alanya Noquet
Monday 2nd November 2009
Monday 2nd November 2009
It is very rare that magic can be poignant; however 'Bright Black', despite focusing around a rather quirky set design, achieved a startling amalgam of spectacle and emotion.
The setting of the play was a largely barren stage, self-consciously theatrical in every sense; actors pulled out suggestive frames from the floor boards of the stage when they needed a prop, climbed a scaffold frame to escape interactions with other characters and had the ability to make objects float, suspended in time, as they considered their powerful significance. The uncanny juxtaposition of everyday objects with the surreal fluidity of physical theatre and dance, not to mention the often poetic speech, made for an interesting take on what plot-wise was a pretty basic story line. The beautiful dance sequence between Claire (Meline Danielewicz) and Cerberus (Martin McCormick) was a particular highlight.
Praise must also be given to the incredibly controlled use of media in a technically difficult show. Whilst shows using complicated film, sound and lightng designs often fail to deliver a flawless performance, it was perhaps due to Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison, who wrote, directed and designed the show together, that this production felt so expertly controlled. Particularly effective was the subtle use of music (composed by Michael JohnMcCarthy) and recorded voice to create the impression of memories.
Bright Black ran so smoothly that it was hard to find fault with this extremely adept piece. By the time the final image of a ghost turned angel appeared out of the darkness, I was spellbound.
The setting of the play was a largely barren stage, self-consciously theatrical in every sense; actors pulled out suggestive frames from the floor boards of the stage when they needed a prop, climbed a scaffold frame to escape interactions with other characters and had the ability to make objects float, suspended in time, as they considered their powerful significance. The uncanny juxtaposition of everyday objects with the surreal fluidity of physical theatre and dance, not to mention the often poetic speech, made for an interesting take on what plot-wise was a pretty basic story line. The beautiful dance sequence between Claire (Meline Danielewicz) and Cerberus (Martin McCormick) was a particular highlight.
Praise must also be given to the incredibly controlled use of media in a technically difficult show. Whilst shows using complicated film, sound and lightng designs often fail to deliver a flawless performance, it was perhaps due to Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison, who wrote, directed and designed the show together, that this production felt so expertly controlled. Particularly effective was the subtle use of music (composed by Michael JohnMcCarthy) and recorded voice to create the impression of memories.
Bright Black ran so smoothly that it was hard to find fault with this extremely adept piece. By the time the final image of a ghost turned angel appeared out of the darkness, I was spellbound.