Conversation Peice

heres what I thought for Sydney Arts Guide
http://www.sydneyartsguide.com/View-Review.asp?ReviewID=1213

Rennie and Alison in Lucy Guerin's CONVERSATION PIECE Three actors, three dancers, six mobiles. Mix, stir and serve… The idea behind this production, the latest collaboration between Melbourne choreographer Lucy Guerin and Belvoir, was great but I am afraid for me it didn’t quite work. Some of the audience loved it and found it hilarious, others sat there stony faced. The opening of the show which runs for 70 minutes without interval is improvised so every performance is completely different. The concept  behind the work – the (in)formal use and analysis of language and its structure, and how in  a ‘Chinese Whispers ‘ like game everything gets twisted – was great , but this was far too long and self indulgent. We see how language and communication can be fractured and distorted. The three dancers arrive on stage first and talk about everything and nothing, as you do amongst friends. In this performance for example it was about the pronunciation of ‘schedule’, who ‘Mitt’ was, and the name of Pancake.  The actors then enter, activate their earphones and recite back what they hear with disjointed giggles, laughs, umms , pauses… The sparse set is a white square floor and a row of detachable, portable orange plastic seats that are sat on/laid across/rolled over and shifted where appropriate. As the work continues various fragments of the original conversation are repeated in different sequences, out of order and context. The iphones are activated/unplugged at various points by the cast from connectors attached to a sound system that’s modified and linked to lines lowered from above. Assorted sound effects,  music and various apps ( guitar, percussion and so on) are tapped and reacted to by the performer who then responds as necessary to what happens. There are some interactions where the repeated phrases take on a completely different meaning. There was some very exciting acting and dancing .Of particular note was Megan Holloway’s solo with her fabulous long flowing hair silkily flowing in her dance. Alisdair Macindoe, emphatic , boneless and rubbery gives an incredible performance. Matthew Whittet gives an endearing performance as a geeky guy with glasses, mostly shy and reserved. Tiny, tentative movements develop into larger, more assertive ones (the extraordinary duet for Whittet and Macindoe is an example) and then, at other times, all of a sudden there is a huge shift in mood and the cast start wildly gyrating to a song. There are some amazing unusual lifts and off- kilter balances. At the end there is an ominous feeling when Harriet Ritchie is isolated , penned in and verbally attacked by the rest of the cast.   An interesting, intriguing show, a fascinating collaboration across art forms that just doesn’t quite work. There was only a polite smattering of applause at the end.   CONVERSATION PIECE opened upstairs at Belvoir Street on Thursday 30th August and plays until Sunday 16th September, 2012. © Lynne Lancaster 3rd September, 2012 Tags: Sydney Theatre Reviews- CONVERSATION PIECE, Lucy Guerin, Belvoir Street Theatre, Harriet Ritchie, Matthew Whittet, Alisdair Macindoe, Megan Holloway, Sydney Arts Guide, Lynne Lancaster

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