OzAsia review: The Record
Festivals
The Record is a show about being human. What it means to “be” in a crowd, to exist, to interact and to move together as a group of individuals.
Presented by American theatre company 600 Highwaymen and involving 45 South Australians, the performance is described as part-theatre, part-dance and part-hallucination.
The premise is that the group members are exploring the idea of “coming together to witness and participate in a singular experience”.
There is a sense that the piece of theatre has been painstakingly choreographed to look like everyday individuals are wandering silently around on stage, occasionally participating in awkward, synchronised movements. Tension is created by on-stage musicians, indicating that this definitely means something …. something deep.
Perhaps some in the audience “got it”, but I spent the hour-long performance in the Space Theatre waiting for the penny to drop. It never did.
Special event The Record. Photo: Maria Baranova
The Record sits within the “interactive” category of the OzAsia Festival program, yet there is no obvious element of interaction. If the aim of show is to leave audiences confused and slightly bewildered, however, then it is highly successful.
Any questions relating to The Record can probably be answered simply with… “because art”.
The Record is playing at The Space Theatre until Saturday as part of the OzAsia Festival, which continues until October 2.
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