Prague Fringe 2017
Hummingbird
Tooth + Nail
Genre: Dance, Drama, Visual Art
Venue: Divadlo Inspirace
Festival: Prague Fringe
Low Down
After a tremendous appearance at last year’s Fringe with Parlour Games, the Tooth + Nail company are back with another magnifificent, prize-winning show.
Review
First things first – this is one good looking troupe of whetted actors. With absolutely no fussing, rushing or pushing they eased the audience into an intriguing noirish nightmare offset by a delightfully nostalgic post war easy listening soundtrack (which was also played pre-show, hinting at the warped love story to come and setting the mood beautifully.) The meticulously crafted use of sound is the first thing that grabs your attention followed by the dreamlike, dusky stage lighting. Through various stages of mime the actors embody recorded voices only occasionally breaking this eerily effective device to speak themselves. Besides this the 40s/50s soundtrack to the show helps not only to tell the story but to set the pace for each scene of increasing discombobulation.
If anyone felt that there were weak moments in the first two parts of ‘Twin Peaks season three’ I am pretty sure they would not have complained had the show looked more like Hummingbird.
Times and places are interwoven to include a mysterious lurking character who remains on stage with the killers throughout the play.
The incorporation of physical acrobatics is impressive and a fascinating visual tool for the predominantly mute actors.
Keep your eye on Francois Lecomte, a profoundly sensitive actor; intuitive, understated and a magnificently adept tumbler.
For anyone who is a fan of the recent spat of terrific True Crime documentaries this play will be a real treat.
