DECIPHERS
The Coronet Theatre
★★★★
“a beautiful, poignant reflection on migrant lived experience”
Immigration continues to spark fierce debate in the UK, yet beneath the headlines and rhetoric lie deeply human experiences. ‘Deciphers’ is an earnest exploration of the psychological toll exacted by navigating new languages and cultures, rooted in the quiet disorientation of life on foreign shores.
‘Deciphers’ blends movement, sound, silence and speech with striking visual metaphor. Naishi Wang and Jean Abreu begin by wordlessly cataloguing their audience on a sprawling paper strip, the colourful newspaper clippings and indecipherable scribbles evoking a detective movie (or psychotic breakdown). After holding their work aloft, as if for our approval, they crumple it determinedly, the paper crackling and glinting like fire. Wang tries crushing it with his entire body, but it refuses to disappear. What follows is a shared physical journey through frustration, loneliness, and the relentless choreography of self-preservation.
Created and performed by Wang and Abreu with dramaturgy by Guy Cools, ‘Deciphers’ is rich in symbolism. The observational opening immediately evokes otherness. The crushed paper ball is a lingering symbol of shame, unprocessed trauma and discarded identities. A spoken section in the performers’ mother tongues is heartbreakingly interrupted by the English phrases ‘we have to continue’ and ‘not enough’. However, the ending lacks weight. When earlier movement motifs return, they feel familiar rather than developed; spoken word doesn’t return, missing an opportunity to show growth. While this reflects the unending nature of adaptation, some refinement would give it the impact it deserves.
Wang and Abreu’s expressive choreography captures inner and outer worlds, balancing raw vulnerability with controlled façade. What stands out is the balance of individuality and commonality – each performer moves with a unique language, yet their vocabularies remain in dialogue. This underscores the fact that no two migration journeys are the same despite shared challenges. Their physical language is rich with unexpected shapes and striking lines, executed with precision and emotional clarity.
Olesia Onykiienko’s music and soundscapes elevate each moment, shifting between abstract textures and structured rhythms. Most striking is the use of silence, punctuating movement with ambient tension and allowing stillness to speak with unexpected intensity.
Ivy Wang’s visual design is quietly arresting: the empty white stage reads as a vast sheet of paper, evoking both possibility and the uncertainty of relocation. Casual costumes reinforce key themes, allowing individual identities to emerge within a shared aesthetic.
Lucie Bazzo’s lighting design is both conceptually sharp and visually arresting. Bright white light evokes the external world and invisible barriers within it, while softer tones create intimate, internal spaces. Tonal light bars echo the performers’ costumes and literally shine light on hidden traumas, which is an inspired detail. Spectacular multicoloured shadows created by additive colour mixing beautifully convey complex, shape-shifting migrant identities.
Wang and Abreu deliver striking emotional intensity, their bodies speaking volumes through fluid, often contorted shapes executed with remarkable clarity and control. Both excel in non-verbal communication: movement, expression, and vocalisation are deployed with precision, underscoring the importance of physical language in a new country. Abreu’s strangled sounds when he just can’t find the words are especially affecting. The choreography balances individuality and connection, side-by-side solos showcasing each performer’s strengths and synchronised moments reinforcing their shared experience, though a few sections would benefit from tighter timing.
‘Deciphers’ is a beautiful, poignant reflection on migrant lived experience, unfolding with emotional depth and a rich sense of humanity. While a little sombre, it’s a moving ode to the human condition, no matter where life takes you.
DECIPHERS
The Coronet Theatre
Reviewed on 23rd October 2025
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Maya Yoncali
Previously reviewed at this venue:
NARAKU 奈落 (ABYSS) | ★★★½ | September 2025
MEDEA | ★★★★ | June 2025
EINKVAN | ★★★★★ | May 2025
PANDORA | ★★★★ | February 2025
STRANGER THAN THE MOON | ★★★ | December 2024
U-BU-SU-NA | ★★★★★ | November 2024
