Insane in the Brain at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre
By Alexandra Lodge
Monday 2nd November 2009
Monday 2nd November 2009
Upon hearing of a street dance version of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, my initial reaction was confusion; having wikipedia'd the original novel for a detailed plot run-through, I wondered how these dancers would bring the dark, intense story of an American insane asylum to the stage through hip hop.
But Swedish street dance company Bounce pull it off brilliantly. They have taken the dark setting, strong characters and straight forward plot as a basis, and have then added their own unique touch in the form of stunning choreography, a killer soundtrack, and some trademark humour.
They draw you right in from the start with a full-on dynamic routine. No set, identical costumes, basic lighting; the dance is all that matters. A costume trick of having masks both on their faces and the backs of their heads adds a clever edge which fits perfectly with the insane asylum and the ideas of confusion and schizophrenia.
Perhaps some of the acting was a little stiff, particularly from Nurse Ratched; but when she danced, she conveyed the Nurse's aggression and dominance well. Hip hop turned out to be perfect for conveying the rebellious nature of McMurphy, and effectively showed the power struggles between all the characters.
As One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ends with a suicide, an attempted murder and then an actual murder, you might think any humour throughout would be pretty subdued, or simply black. Not so – the night of debauchery where McMurphy brings alcohol and prostitutes to the ward turns into a re-enactment of Flashdance and Fame – right down to the brightly coloured legwarmers, leotards, leggings and general lycra. And the men's attire left far less to the imagination than the women's did.
On top of all this, the use of lighting, bungees and a vertical dance surface make the show spectacular, and worth seeing more than once. The only disappointment: no encore routine.
Bounce continue their UK tour throughout November, and are still to visit Stirling, Warwick and Newcastle, among a few others. See http://www.insanetour.co.uk/ for more info.
But Swedish street dance company Bounce pull it off brilliantly. They have taken the dark setting, strong characters and straight forward plot as a basis, and have then added their own unique touch in the form of stunning choreography, a killer soundtrack, and some trademark humour.
They draw you right in from the start with a full-on dynamic routine. No set, identical costumes, basic lighting; the dance is all that matters. A costume trick of having masks both on their faces and the backs of their heads adds a clever edge which fits perfectly with the insane asylum and the ideas of confusion and schizophrenia.
Perhaps some of the acting was a little stiff, particularly from Nurse Ratched; but when she danced, she conveyed the Nurse's aggression and dominance well. Hip hop turned out to be perfect for conveying the rebellious nature of McMurphy, and effectively showed the power struggles between all the characters.
As One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ends with a suicide, an attempted murder and then an actual murder, you might think any humour throughout would be pretty subdued, or simply black. Not so – the night of debauchery where McMurphy brings alcohol and prostitutes to the ward turns into a re-enactment of Flashdance and Fame – right down to the brightly coloured legwarmers, leotards, leggings and general lycra. And the men's attire left far less to the imagination than the women's did.
On top of all this, the use of lighting, bungees and a vertical dance surface make the show spectacular, and worth seeing more than once. The only disappointment: no encore routine.
Bounce continue their UK tour throughout November, and are still to visit Stirling, Warwick and Newcastle, among a few others. See http://www.insanetour.co.uk/ for more info.