DANCE REVIEW: Message In A Bottle - The Peacock Theatre, London.

Raucous! Exhilarating!

'Message In A Bottle', choreographed by Kate Prince MBE and music by Sting, is an absolute delight. I have previously seen ‘Some Like It Hip Hop’ performed by Kate Prince’s Zoo-Nation troupe and loved it, so I was delighted to get the chance to see this new show. 'Message In A Bottle' had just arrived on the stage last year as we went into lockdown, so Wednesday 29 September 2021 was the first time it has been performed since then. We were on our feet, we were cheering, we were shouting, it was an amazing spectacle of contemporary dance at its finest.

I loved every minute. From the start with ‘Inshallah’ and ‘Desert Rose’ to the final ‘They Dance Alone’, Sting’s dulcet voice echoes around the theatre or there were some of the instantly recognisable toe tapping Police hits of yesteryear. Some of Sting’s music has been specially rearranged and a few familiar songs are sung by new artists. Although not a huge fan of Sting’s music, I have grown up with The Police and to hear these songs played in this context brings a newfound appeal.

This is a story of the despair of displacement, migration and escape. Still today, in the modern world we are seeing people leave war torn areas for a better life, this story shows the loss and survival of a family. This could be one of the millions of families that we see every day in the media arriving on foreign shores searching for a safer future. The music tells the story, the dance portrays the migration. The story begins in a village, in a faraway land where the villagers live a simple existence and are undeniably happy. Civil war erupts and forces the villagers to face up to losing their homes and families unless they flee. Our family embarks on a catastrophic journey. I will say no more than that.

Kate Prince has put together one of the most diverse and exciting team of dancers you are ever likely to see. Her belief in using new talent and inspiring dancers has gained her notoriety and an MBE. No wonder Sting was happy to collaborate with her. Prince admits that she was a Sting fan long before the idea of this production was born – so this was also a labour of love for her. Go and see this frenetic dance production. Break-dancing, spinning, flips – on and on for almost two hours. There is so much to see on the stage that you don’t know which dancer to watch. I am exhausted just watching from the auditorium seats. Deavion Brown is phenomenal, a real charismatic performer; oh, those moves! Nafisah Baba, elegant and poised; how she uses her body to tell her story is wonderful. Gavin Vincent, who can provide the breakdance move of repeatedly spinning on his head combined with body popping was fabulous. I could go on and on about the other performers, but their stage and TV credits would make this a very long review. The whole dance team were superb. Older children and teenagers would be mesmerised, and adults would just be in awe. I would see this production again and I am recommending it near and far to everyone.

Reviewer - Penny Curran
on - 29.9.21