Photo credit: James Allan
The ‘play with a play’ narrative is a familiar dramatic device but rarely is it executed with such charm as in this giddy, gorgeous UK production, which utilises a range of musical and theatrical styles to tell a story about music’s eternal power to transport and transform us.
Created by British company Little Bulb Theatre in conjunction with Battersea Arts Centre, where it originally premiered, Orpheus blends timeless music – Piaf, Bach, Brahms, Saint- Saëns and others – with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, to magnificent effect.
Its premise is simple: in a 1930’s Parisian hall, mistress of ceremonies and chanteuse Yvette Pépin (Eugenié Pastor) has arranged for legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt (Dominic Conway) to perform. Instead of a traditional concert, the pair present a richly constructed drama in which Pépin plays doomed dryad Eurydice, and Reinhardt the poet and bard Orpheus, whose music was so transporting it could stir rocks and trees to dance. They are backed by a talented team of musicians and performers whose diverse skills – including deadpan comedy and orgasmic double bass playing – further enrich the production.
A prologue presents the story in miniature before the players tackle every aspect in detail. Scenes include a forest glade where Orpheus’ music enchants a range of woodland creatures, ranging from rabbits and deer to a threatening bear; a deliciously clichéd Paris, where Gauloises are smoked, baguettes eaten, and Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon is casually referenced; and the dark domain of Hades, whence Orpheus ventures after Eurydice dies from the poisonous bite of an serpent in a vain attempt to restore her to life.
The play is a portmanteau of theatrical styles, including exaggerated movement, masks, and silent film-style title cards projected on scrims to introduce each scene. Tiny details, such as Eurydice’s autumnal transformation as the work evolves, further enrich proceedings. It’s mad, marvellous and in less skilful hands would be a mess, but here it works, and wonderfully so. The overall effect is hilarious – but hilarity so skilfully presented that when artifice gives way to artful evocations of real emotion, laughter quickly and easily turns to tears.
Eurydice’s death, after she is bitten by a viper, is initially played as comedy; she swoons melodramatically and the snake itself is an outsize puppet, but Orpheus’ response upon finding her body is anguished and authentic. Similarly, Orpheus’ journey to the Underworld features a cartoonish Charon and a playfully imagined Cerberus, but as Persephone, the Underworld’s reticent Queen, Tom Penn’s falsetto intercession was lamentation incarnate – a highlight of the evening.
Director Alexander Scott (who, like many of the cast, doubles in multiple roles – most memorably as a luminously crystal-crowned Hades, Lord of the Underworld, though he also plays a mean clarinet) has drawn diverse stories and performance modes together with exceptional skill. With its narrative enhanced by a perfect venue – Fortitude Valley’s iconic and baroque Tivoli – Orpheus is not just a highlight of the Brisbane Festival; it’s one of the most enchanting and joyful productions Australia has seen this year.
4 ½ stars out of 5
Orpheus
Little Bulb Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre
Written and Devised by: The Company
Directed by: Alexander Scott
Designer (Set & Costume): Mary Drummond
Sound Designer: Ed Clarke
Lighting Designer: Michael Odam
Mask and Puppets: Max Humphries and Cheryl Brown
Scenic Artist: Rebecca Chan
Double Bass: Clare Beresford
Guitar: Dominic Conway
Violin: Miriam Gould
Piano/Organ: Charlie Penn
Percussion: Tom Penn
Flute/Swanee Whistle: Eugenié Pastor
Clarinet: Alexander Scott
Accordion: Shamira Turner
The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley
12-16 September
Brisbane Festival
www.brisbanefestival.com.au
9-30 September 2017
