Brighton Fringe 2011
Low Down
InBetween Theatre present a multi-media exploration of Life.
Review
InBetween Theatre’s Vita! is a collage of projected images, film, music, sound and live performance exploring the theme of "Life". Now that is a big topic! Alessandra Fel, Susanna Dalcielo, Tracey-Anne Liles are able physical performers and the opening of the show is a striking trio of black statues on plinths.
Devised by the company and inspired by ‘philosophy, science and personal opinion’, there are some beautiful moments here where text, image and movement reach synergy, but this is not always the case making the piece feel patchy and a bit disconnected in terms of chosen media.
In terms of content, they’ve set themselves a huge task and ultimately it all feels as if it has barely scratched the surface. The chosen quotes and philosophical territory are too reminiscent of the research one might do for a student essay. That won’t be enough for many demanding audience members. We need a more radical or adventurous exploration of this, the topic of all topics.
A particularly successful moment involves music and the sea. Music is well chosen and enhances mood and atmosphere, stirring us to the images – both physical and projected. The creativity is to be applauded, even if it is a little unoriginal in places.
A sense of being trapped inside our own shadow – this was a very powerful image with which to begin a show. The show ends on the same image and the sense of completion of the circle is impressively delivered. Vita…Of this life, the drama elements piece never quite matched the power of that original image
At moments we have affecting physical theatre and movement and at other moments a rather bewildering kind of edutainment, Vita lacks a whole that would lift it up as performance.
The three performers work together well, and the piece is delivered tightly and impressively. The vocal delivery is sometimes a little unclear in the challenging acoustics of the venue.
The ending sequences with sand-glitter and a filmed movement sequence, mirrored live to an echoey soundtrack are particularly strong, poetic and visually arresting. And these images linger in the soul. So here we have it, a group that would do well to let their dance and movement wings take flight more than their spoken theatre ones. A five star beginning, a four star ending and a too big two star middle. So, definitely worth seeing. Three stars.
There’s plenty of promise in this young trio and I look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.
