‘Total theatre’ will only work if all elements are strong, and indeed Meryl Tankard’s direction, choreography and design in Kaidan: A Ghost Story
brings an explosive fusion of art-forms which on the whole respectfully
encompass each other to bring about a truly exciting experience, a
ballet as such between taiko drums, a shakuhachi (bamboo flute), six
dancers, Régis Lansac’s stunning digital illuminations, and lighting inspired by Henry Plummer’s book Light in Japanese Architecture.
Pulsing
with engaging and profound complexity, forces combine (and at times
bicker) to unveil a woman’s journey from deep contemplation to frantic
release, a poised introspection turned deranged abandonment.
It
is said that people in the west look in mirrors out of a compound of
narcissism and individualism, while Japanese look through the mirror.
My
advice to anyone going along to see this show is to know the story
before you watch. Post show ladies room I overheard the classic
confused banter between two patrons. “Did you understand what was going on there?”
“Not a clue”.
The
story goes that eight centuries ago, the priests of a small Japanese
town wanted a big bell for their temple; so asked the women of their
parish to help them by contributing old bronze mirrors for bell-metal.
A
young woman, who presented an heirloom mirror to the temple, afterwards
much regretted it, feeling she had foolishly given away part of her
life.
Because she did not sincerely offer the mirror it would
not melt and the bell could not be made. Ashamed and angry, the woman
drowned herself, thereby allowing her mirror to melt and the bell to be
made.
It is said that a woman’s mirror reflects her soul, in Tankard’s production this is represented by the phantasmal strains of Riley Lee’s bamboo shakuhachi flute, a sweet sad melody echoing in memory long after the undoubtedly deserved standing ovation.
The
origins of taiko drums go back at least 2000 or 3000 years deep into
Japan’s prehistory. In some Buddhist traditions they represent the
voice of Buddha and in Shinto shrines accompanies prayers to heaven.
Australian ensemble Taikoz, led by Ian Cleworth,
deliver a magnificent performance, with a sense of theatricality that
upstage the dancers, who until the end are but subtle nuances
complimenting the dramatic heart beat that is the drums.
Best to be in the front row to feel from head to toe their divine rumbles.
Lighting designer Trudy Dalgleish also plays a significant part in realizing the best aspects of this work. Dalgleish’s dappled and subtle displays create an ethereal world for the dancers, led by Sarah-Jayne Howard, to personify the fragmented soul of a tortured woman.
Before the climatic physical death of the woman (though her soul cries on) Howard
is rendered as if a Bunraku puppet, her movements manipulated by a male
dancer behind her. All the dancers were physically very strong and
controlled, at times though with an undetectable emotional
subconscious, a device employed to manifest the imprisoned state of a
woman unable to let go, the drums carrying the undercurrent of her
shifting emotional journey.
The use of breath and silence
particularly grounded the whole experience, offsetting the spectacular
roller coaster of visual stimulation.
Scaling the wall as an insect, Jane Pinkerton
is a stand out, though particularly at this point the drums and
illuminations could have served better with a more subtle presence.
Other disappointments were the at times lagging choreography, and one or two abrupt transitions in Lansac’s
illuminations. Though effectively beautiful and breathtaking,
occasionally their presence foretold a shift in the story that needn’t
the blatant reminder.
I also wished Tankard took a leaf from Kosky’s book and tripled the length of it.
There
is a compulsion to concentrate on every subtle ankle twist, light dart
and temple bell. The whole experience was artistic stimulation of epic
proportion.
Sydney Opera House and Sydney Festival present
Meryl Tankard & TaikOz KAIDAN A ghost story
Venue: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House Preview: 17 January @ 7.30pm $45 Dates: 18 – 27 January Times: Mon @ 6.30pm, Tuesday – Saturday @ 7.30pm, Saturday @ 2pm Duration: 1hr 15mins, no interval Tickets: $55/$45 Bookings: Sydney Opera House 02 9250 7777 www.sydneyoperahouse.com
