Using a combination of contemporary dance, physical theatre, acrobatics and aerial - usually referred to as modern / contemporary circus - this three person company took us on a very personal journey of a woman being diagnosed with HIV and her suffering and her survival. The company presented this with the use of a cleverly designed set of three different sized metal cubes upon which they leapt. crept, jumped, hung etc. It was very cleverly and imaginatively choreographed, with split second timing and judging of distances.
The show takes the form of three main sections. In the first we see the joy, happiness and hedonism of the young woman's life. Partying, dancing, and fun-loving; this easily morphs into the second, as we see the sex, unbridled passion and kinky side to her nature - in this section, all three performers appear topless - and then we come to the third section which is the suffering and despair of living with the disease and the knowledge that it might kill you. There is an epilogue in which she recovers and the whole is bookended with her visit to the doctors receiving her diagnosis.
The three talented performers are Junior Cunningham, Phoebe Knight, and of course Sadiq Ali himself, who also directed the whole. It is a very thoughtful and worthy piece of theatre, performed with dedication and reverence, however, I did feel that this reverence got in the way of visual spectacle and a needed change of dynamic.
I did find the whole piece, which lasted 65 minutes without interval, to be too monotonous and slow, calling out for a change of scene, a different direction or speed. Visually, it had too few changes to sustain our concentration and after about 40 minutes we were getting a little restless.
Lighting and sound were good and the whole had a very 1980's vibe to it, which goes hand in glove with the prevalence of AIDS.
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
On - 16.1.26
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