REVIEW: Found at the Byre Theatre
By Anthony Simpson-Pike
Monday 2nd November 2009
Monday 2nd November 2009
I was expecting something quite visceral from Found. But what I found was very different. Billed as ‘dance theatre with a living sound track’, the synopsis for the show was by no means an exaggeration; the exquisite soundtrack often brought chills to its audience. Indeed, musicians Luke Sutherland and Jer Reid could well be described as the highlights of this show, improvising in response to the actors, and vice versa. The music somehow rooted the play in the reality of the two men playing music on stage, which made a nice contrast to the abstract action. The physical presence of instrumentalists acted as a bridge between reality and the dream-like entity of what the actors were realising through far more conceptual means; the guitarist and violinist were thus puppet-masters directing the limbs of actors Michael Sherin and Christine Devaney. Although the musicians did steal the show, the actors are in no way sub-par. It was a testament to the ensemble that they were all able to share an equilibrium of power, whilst each having their individuals moments to shine.
Michael Sherin does not strike one as a likely candidate for a piece of dance theatre with his greying hair, and not all too graceful physique. But he quickly blew this prejudice out of the water within the first ten minutes of the play. His dance moves, although not the most physically demanding, were profoundly graceful. This too can be said of Devaney, though she did handle the more physically demanding side of the choreography. In Found everything lay in the subtlety of the movement. Everything was done for a purpose, to express an emotion or to encapsulate a feeling, and everything was, therefore, beautiful. The delicacy was at the core of the art.
The subtle quality of the show was aided by the simple lighting of the piece. A projected backdrop incorporated impressive technology that worked well to provide an aesthetic support. Purple, blue and green lighting on the backdrop created a dream-like quality, which was further emphasised by the short film sections. This was crucial because the story rested on the possibilities of the unreal, of what can be dreamt but is never truly realised.
Found was about a relationship conducted through imagination and the words of a letter. It highlighted both the power of words but also the power of silence. Because the words were sparse, they are carefully chosen, “What if I found her in a letter” asks Sherin giving the show its name, and he finds a letter, written by the mystery woman played by Devaney and reads it. As he does, he discovers her; her life, her relationships, why she is no longer there. This is the premise of the play, that one can find someone else through words, that the unreal can perhaps be realised with enough imagination. The plot was, therefore, difficult to define; it was a show that will inevitably mean different things to different people, as dance theatre is prone to, but will of course, make you think.
Michael Sherin does not strike one as a likely candidate for a piece of dance theatre with his greying hair, and not all too graceful physique. But he quickly blew this prejudice out of the water within the first ten minutes of the play. His dance moves, although not the most physically demanding, were profoundly graceful. This too can be said of Devaney, though she did handle the more physically demanding side of the choreography. In Found everything lay in the subtlety of the movement. Everything was done for a purpose, to express an emotion or to encapsulate a feeling, and everything was, therefore, beautiful. The delicacy was at the core of the art.
The subtle quality of the show was aided by the simple lighting of the piece. A projected backdrop incorporated impressive technology that worked well to provide an aesthetic support. Purple, blue and green lighting on the backdrop created a dream-like quality, which was further emphasised by the short film sections. This was crucial because the story rested on the possibilities of the unreal, of what can be dreamt but is never truly realised.
Found was about a relationship conducted through imagination and the words of a letter. It highlighted both the power of words but also the power of silence. Because the words were sparse, they are carefully chosen, “What if I found her in a letter” asks Sherin giving the show its name, and he finds a letter, written by the mystery woman played by Devaney and reads it. As he does, he discovers her; her life, her relationships, why she is no longer there. This is the premise of the play, that one can find someone else through words, that the unreal can perhaps be realised with enough imagination. The plot was, therefore, difficult to define; it was a show that will inevitably mean different things to different people, as dance theatre is prone to, but will of course, make you think.