Uniquely styled, Revisor is a wonderful menagerie of amazingly talented dancers portraying a story of betrayal, corruption and power.
Presented by: Produced by Kidd Pivot in association with Eponymous.
Reviewed: 18 March, 2023
As one of only 200 projects funded by the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter Program, you can see why Revisor was one of those chosen out of the 2,000 applications received.
Partially narrated, this unique performance is based on a Russian tale from 1833 (now widely accepted as a true story), and the concept originally performed in 1836 in St Petersburg for the Tsar. It has been delightfully redacted by choreographer Crystal Pite and playwright Jonathon Young.
The show takes you back in time from the very start with the first scene. A wooden door, a desk, a letter, and a lamp in a dimly lit room, with Postmaster Wieland (Rakeem Hardy) delivering a letter of revelation to the Director (Doug Letheren). The news is that an incognito inspector will soon be arriving in their town to investigate them.
As more and more officials gracefully and rhythmically enter the scene, we meet the remaining cast in full official uniform depicting their rank and role in the bureaucracy.
Renée Sigouin as Misha, Rena Narumi as Interrogator Klak, Ella Rothschild as Minister Desouza, Brandon Alley as Doctor Harlow and towards the end, confirming their fears that an incognito inspector is due to arrive, enters Jennifer Florentino as Anna (wife of the Director).
Brandon Alley as Osip (assistant to the Revisor) and Gregory Lau as the Revisor are thereafter introduced in the next scene, with the latter being mistaken for the incognito inspector that the officials need to woo and bribe to keep their misdeeds secret.
With comedic intent at first, the play explores themes of complicity, class, government, conflict, morality, corruption, deceit, ego, greed and betrayal. After the story is told, it is then re-told with all the dancers in ‘normal’ clothes, out of their official characters. The retelling of the story felt grimmer, darker, and sadder. It felt like the contrast of a story that is officially told, and the one that really happened; the old adage of there being two sides to every story.
The skill of these performers is such that their body, movement, and artistry synchronise with lip synced voiceovers, partial narration and audiovisuals. Furthermore, in several scenes throughout, actions occur simultaneously between the figures on stage. One of the standout scenes that I recall was that of Osip and the Revisor. In perfect order, the two’s movements coexist and align with strobe lights, voiceovers, and accompanying music. At another stage Alley as Osip is under the bed and effectively creates a look akin to being struck by lightning, such is the perfection of the synchronicity.
The amazing part of the team behind the scenes for such an outstanding audiovisual set was Tom Visser as Lighting Designer, Jay Gower Taylor as Scenic and Reflective Light Concept Designer, Owen Belton, Alessandro Juliani and Meg Roe as both composers and sound designers, with the latter two also taking the additional role of being a voice actor. Eric Beauchesne was the Associate Artistic Director, with Nancy Bryant as the Costume Designer. The remaining cast of voice actors was Scott McNeil, Kathleen Barr, Gerard Plunkett, Ryan Beil, Nicola Lipman and Amy Rutherford.
The original compositions by Owen Belton, Alessandro Juliani and Meg Roe were incredibly apt and an excellent enhancement to this production. One aspect that I particularly noticed was the many sounds within the music, as well as the use of gradation in volume for a few scenes of the telling of the story.
If you are unsure what to expect from this performance, watch it and see for yourself! It is a masterful production of unique design and doesn’t feel possible to categorise. The only analogy I can think of is attending a musical – but instead of the actors using additional expression and creativity through song – they are dancing. However, this would be understating all of the elements that make up the Revisor.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
Photo credit: Andrew Beveridge
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre
Season: 17th – 19th March 2023
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (no interval)
Tickets: $40-$129.00
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/revisor/
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