13 – 15 October 2023
There are certain shows one is anxious to finish purely because you’re bursting to show your appreciation. The sheer level of talent and ingenuity displayed by the cast brings us to our feet. How then to describe such a paragon as Tess? The story of Tess falls into the distinct phases of her tragic life and these are signaled as part of the expressionist back projections that seem to flow between sea, lava, fields of wheat and much else besides. Irregular spaced scaffold boards form what could be the side of a rustic barn and ropes suspended from above and dressed with pieces of material have the appearance of an undersea forest. As the play opens a church bell chimes and birds sing. The village girls dance onto stage, weaving around a moving wood. The dance is acrobatic and joyful. We warm to the innocence and simplicity of the idealized bucolic life.
The story is narrated by Tess1 (Macadie Amoroso) who watches herself as Tess 2 (Lila Naruse) whose fulgent presence lies at the core of the show. The action itself has little or no dialogue, but is a world away from the dumb-show antics we too often find in some of the ballet. This is dance drama that is every bit as descriptive of the narrative as the spoken word. And yet ‘dance’ doesn’t do justice to the athleticism and circus skills of the performers. When Alec D’Urberville (Joshua Frazer) attempts to seduce Tess his mesmerizing skill in the hoop is a physical metaphor for his louche, superficial charm. Again when Angel Clare (Nat Whittingham) is repulsed on learning the truth about Tess’s past his grotesque backward tumbles and swirling retreat from her presence give physical expression to his inner turmoil.
What does this production do that others don’t? It fills in the emotional gaps that words can’t quite reach onstage. The physical expression of Tess’s psychological journey makes this as fresh an interpretation as one could hope to see. Clever use of scaffold-boards turn journeys into something special and Tess’s ill-fated accident on the family’s horse is as graphic as any study in dust and blood one might see on film.
Running through the whole piece is the score and sound-scape of Holly Khan. This wonderfully interpretive music tracks, leads and maps Tess’s fateful journey. It is everywhere affective, from scenes of joy through to darker moments of despair, loss and rejection, always supporting the action, never intruding.
The show is indeed a coming together of the talents to make something quite special out of one of the cornerstones of the literary canon.
★★★★★ Graham Wyles 14 October 2023
photographer’s credit – Kie Cummings
Website; www.ockhamsrazor.co.uk
Unit 15 Circus City, Bristol – 13th – 15th October 2023
