Part of the Sydney Fringe Festival, directed and devised by Maggie Kelly and choreographed by Marko Panzic, Wild Spirit’s Earth Angel takes as its basis the romantic ballet premise of an elusive angel sent to Earth who falls in love with a mortal. Can they really be together? Think La Sylphide, Giselle, La Bayedere – but there are also hints of Star Wars and Black Swan. I was also reminded of Ashton’s Dante Sonata and Murphy’s Some Rooms and Seven Deadly Sins.
Separated from her heavenly sisters, an angel, Tara (Natasha Marconi) is sent to Earth in a quest to save the planet from the ‘Dark Lights’ – (Melise Avion, William Keohavong and Mashum Liberta) – a sexy, evil ‘black queen’ like figure supported by two slithering sinister ‘toy boy’ tempters or dark angels in cut-black black costumes and rippling cloaks. On her journey, Tara falls in love with a mortal, Christopher (Chris Tsattallios).
Once on Earth, Tara has to awaken the blue water spirit (Lauren Howes on aerial lyre), the red Fire spirit (Ashley Thompson on aerial web) – some wonderful costumes and masks here – the Air spirit (a spectacular Simon Shields, entrancing and godlike in a revealing silver costume with a magnificent aerial trapeze solo) and a male, yellow-ochred Aboriginal Earth Spirit who does a marvellous acrobatic pole dance that also, Bangarra-like, incorporates some traditional Aboriginal dance. We also see how the Dark Lights interfere with mortal lives, through the troubled characters Mathew and Catherine (Philip Srhoj and Mari Evans).
Towards the end there is a Giselle-like section where Christopher, the mortal lover, can no longer see Tara but can still feel the touch of her invisible wings. Somehow they break down the barriers.
Allegory and symbolism again linked to ballet tradition are incorporated with the theme of the scarves that Tara is given by the various elements and her sisters. Texture is also important – the lace details and chiffon on the angels’ costumes, the silk and other materials used for the aerial work, the feathers and hard red masks for the fire creatures, and the leather look for the Air solo.
It is a visually spectacular piece, featuring some difficult acrobatic work and fine aerialist/trapeze work. There are allusions to liturgical dance, martial arts and Graeme Murphy’s choreography. The dancing itself is exceptional, demanding a very fluid supple line, a flexible back, high jumps, and a high extended and held develope, among other things, including the use of swan/angel wing-like rippling arms when appropriate.
The music is an integral part of the performance; a blend of Celtic, Cirque du Soliel style, Aboriginal (yes, including didgeridoo) and soft pop/rock ballads. The main singer, Angela Little, the High Priestess Angel who acts as a sort of watching goddess mostly high up in the balcony, is amazing.
The scene changes and blackouts were perhaps a bit clunky and a couple of times we thought the show had finished before it really had, but overall this was an excellent production – an exciting blend of myth, quests and Romantic ideals combining dance music and circus/aerial work. I look forward to the next Wild Spirit production
Rating: Four stars
Earth Angel
Director: Maggie Kelley
Choreographer: Marko Panzic
Cast: Natasha Marconi, Chris Tsattalios, Angela Little, Melise Avion, Keiynan Lonsdale, Mashum Liberta, William Keohavong, Lauren Howes, Paige Walker Carlton, Simon Shields, Matt Shields, Ashlee Thompson, Phillip Srhoj, Mari Evans, Angela Little and Larry Kelly
Running time: 75 minutes (no interval)
The Reginald, Seymour Centre
September 20 – 24
The Sydney Fringe
September 9 – October 2
