theatre review

Wheels of Life

SHARMANKA Kinetic Theatre

Forgotten industrial and domestic machinery has been reclaimed to create this unnerving and beautiful 'mechanical ballet.' More vibrant folk dance than ballet, the world Eduard Berdsudsky's moving sculptures generate is one of enslavement and community. Carved wooden grotesques set in motion structures ingeniously assembled from Singer sewing machines, gramophones, cogs and spokes. In a brilliant conceit the audience is issued with binoculars and voyeuristically we spy on these animal and human creatures chained to their cyclical tasks. Being in control of our own long shots and close-ups gives this all too brief half hour show dream-like perspectives. The final image is nightmarish, however: a tiny skeleton illuminated by a red glow rotates a wheel - a wheel of life.

Theatre Workshop, 31 Jul - 25 Aug, times vary, prices vary, fpp 241

tw rating: 5/5

published: Aug-2008

ThreeWeeks Rating Key

1/5: Bad     2/5: Mediocre     3/5: Good     4/5: Very Good     5/5: Excellent

Pot-luck Google Topics