A DANCER, a chess player, an asylum seeker and a mad woman. Written as a list there is no obvious connection between the four.
But when their stories are told by producer/
performer Julia Barnett they become intrinsically linked.
In Leaving there is a fragility to each one. Each is breakable, as shown by the quivering muscles of the dancer who no longer has the strength to perform and the rhythmic descent into insanity of the mad woman.
But, somewhat paradoxically, as their stories develop and reveal how they are affected by circumstances outside their control, the telling of them sets them free.
The poetic text is one of the show's high points.
Questions still remain about the four and they are not answered in the poetic text which is one of the show's high points.
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As a mysterious narrator journeys through the women's lives, members of the audience are absorbed into the stories and start to question their own experiences.
Greenwich Playhouse's darkened, sparse space, complements Julia's captivating portrayal of fragility and strength.
Through dance and emotive monologues she fills the room with a vibrant intensity, heightened by an intelligent use of projected imagery.
Through dance and emotive monologues she fills the room with a vibrant intensity, heightened by an intelligent use of projected imagery.
On stage at various points during the play are two puppeteers who help her around the stage as her body lulls and erupts and also pull her from place to place.
They contort her body into almost unnatural positions creating a gripping sense of unease.
She, herself, is a puppet controlled by these external circumstances, which the viewer can decide whether she ever truly breaks free from.
Some would call it physical theatre. I'd call it a mind blowing and mesmerising experience.
Some would call it physical theatre.
I'd call it a mind blowing and
mesmerising experience.
Split Soul Dance Theatre presents Leaving. Greenwich Playhouse until May 11.
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