Conflict abounds
Reviewed at AC Arts on 3 March 2019
Presented by Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas
Palmyra was inspired by the destruction of the ancient city in Syria by Isis and the concert which was held in the ruins a year later. At that event there was a call for peace and unity and this piece by Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutsas brilliantly demonstrates how quickly those admirable qualities can break down. It won the Grand Prix at Stockholm Fringe Festival in 2017 and this is its Australian Premiere.
At the start, Voutsas is posed on a wooden moving dolly when Lesca takes up the classic dance position and wheels him around the stage. The movements get faster and faster, with each of them now riding their own moving dolly and the tension builds as they begin to collide. After several collisions they become physical and fight each other.
Now imagine a bare stage, two black chairs and beside each is a plate – Voutsas’ is whole and Lesca’s is broken in pieces. This seemingly simple device serves as a metaphor for power and envy as Lesca asks to borrow the unbroken plate, climbs a ladder and drops it to smash on the floor. The conflict between the two quickly escalates further as Voutsas grabs a hammer. Here the audience is drawn in to the piece when Lesca asks a woman in the front row to look after and hide the hammer.
Without giving anything away, this must represent a real challenge to the performers as they cannot know how the audience members will react, particularly as the two performers become increasingly hostile and vicious towards each other. Each performer blames the other for the breakdown and conflict and the play’s climax is deeply sinister, disturbing and moving – set amidst a stage covered in broken china.
Reviewed by Jan Kershaw
Venue: AC Arts, Light Square, Adelaide
Season: 4 -5 March at 9:00pm
Duration: 70 minutes no interval
Tickets: $49, Friends $42, Conc $39, U30 $25
More News
