★★★★

“The chaos is cut with emotion, and it’s carefully and cleverly structured”

YesYesNoNo are one of the hottest new theatre companies on the current London scene. Following a sell-out run of Nation at the Edinburgh Fringe, which he wrote and performed, Sam Ward’s latest offering is a chaotically absurd retelling of the French Revolution with pool noodles and bouncy castles.

There are five things this audience need to know about the French Revolution. Some are factual, some funny and some furious.

We begin in pre-revolutionary France. Inequality is rife, as demonstrated by peasants being thwacked by a pool noodle. This is a play that seethes under a jovial surface.

As the historical events develop, so too does the madness unravel. A bouncy castle, a performer on a treadmill, sports commentary of a protest, and a lot of wigs. Each performer multi-roles with cardboard signs announcing their character, none of whom are named. It’s pure Brecht. Thus, unsurprisingly, the silliness masks an anger and a serious message.

Here lies the uncertainty of the play. The anger is clear, and the parallels between modern day Britain and pre-revolutionary France, gloomily obvious. House prices are soaring, and as the rich get richer, the poor struggle for food. There is very little acknowledgement of the modern day, allowing the audience to join the dots themselves. But in doing that, the message becomes murkier, some aspects obvious, some obtuse. The ending makes the point of the allegory clearer, but feels disjointed, both in tone and meaning.

As a retelling of the French Revolution, it is sparky and punchy, if a little simplistic. As a modern-day commentary, it’s a little uncertain. It becomes a general comment on inequality and struggle, leaving the final visual moment, while striking, a little empty.

The show was devised by Sam Ward and the cast. There are some beautiful textual moments, some which have Ward’s signature flowing style. The chaos is cut with emotion, and it’s carefully and cleverly structured.

Joe Boylan is sublime, leaping over the vaulting horse, trudging on the treadmill and creating a balletic and pathetic image of the King. He also delivers the two most powerful and memorable monologues, striking an emotional resonance which is desperately needed. Jessica Enemokwu, Sha Dessi, and Alice Keedwell create delightful caricatures and bring energy and silliness to the stage. Paul Brendan deftly switches from the enthusiastic sweary washerwoman to the patronising idealistic bourgeoise, bringing each to life with joy and complexity.

Hazel Low’s set conjures an instant smile. With a shiny red floor, horse vault and an umpire chair, it is reminiscent of a school gymnasium. The childlike playfulness is brought to the fore. But the set also manages to encompass darker themes, and in combination with Han Sayle’s lighting design and Tom Foskett-Barnes’ sound there are moments of pure carnage.

This show has flashes of genius but based on YesYesNoNo’s previous work I couldn’t help expecting more from this play. It could’ve gone further, delving deeper into the messaging, and the payoff didn’t feel strong enough. As a devised piece it may evolve into something more complex as time goes on. But it’s an electric production, with some visual delights.

U-BU-SU-NA at the Coronet Theatre

★★★★★

“a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a performance that is both explosive and meditative”

U-BU-SU-NA translates as “the mystical divine power that protects the land and those who live there.” It’s about as ideal a title as one can find for a production featuring Butoh. The Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill is the venue to find this mesmerizing show, created by Kentaro Kujirai, a leading Butoh master. In U-BU-SU-NA four performers explore what it means to live in contemporary spaces in which suppressed histories are always attempting to emerge. And there is something very appropriate in staging this show in the beautifully restored Coronet Theatre, which still retains features of its old spirit before the restoration. A space where peeling paint and patchwork repairs are a carefully curated design feature.

In sixty brief minutes, Kentaro Kujirai and his company provide a vivid introduction to the form of dance and movement known as Butoh. It was created in the 1940s as a response to the suppression of Japanese culture in the aftermath of the Second World War. But Butoh is influenced not only by Japanese classical dance and theatre, but also German Expressionism, and the ideas of Antonin Artaud, and Jean Genet. It is meant to be paradoxically both disruptive and grotesque, while also seeming meditative, even spiritual, in its effect. Butoh is a form of movement not imposed upon the work, but which emerges from within the body of the dancer to become the work. Butoh—also known as the “dance of utter darkness” (ankoku butoh) is a profound, and also unsettling, exploration of the ways in which modern urban life, built upon ancient shrines, can disrupt connections with the traditional practices of Japanese culture.

U-BU-SU-NA begins in silence and darkness, one dancer on stage. As more dancers emerge, sounds begin to emerge as well. Sound and movement are always at odds with one another. While the performers move in slow motion, the sound track (sound designer FUJI|||||||||||TA and Kota Nakasato) features dripping water, and heightened metallic sounds. Costumes (KMRii, C.R.O.W. design lab) are a curious mix of traditional Japanese costumes in drab colours, or modern dance clothing. Sound and costumes are an effective way to heighten the conflict between Japan’s past and present playing out in the dance. Dancers Kentaro Kujirai, Makoto Sadakata, Izumi Noguchi and Hirohisa Kanamori all present their own distinctive forms of this conflict. This too adds to the overall sense of discontinuous histories, and fractured lives lived in precarious ways upon the shrines of the past. The choreography features fragments of Buddhism, Shintoism, classical Japanese dance, even western ballet, and often at the same time. Western opera makes a brief appearance in the sound track. Kentaro Kujirai’s interpretation of Butoh is boundary breaking as well. At one point, they all gather in a group, seated on the floor, and snatches of conversation ensue. The performance is interrupted when a dancer appears with a broom, sweeping the stage, and sweeping up a resting dancer. Despite all these disruptive moments, the overall effect, paradoxically, is to draw in the audience more deeply. By the end of the show, we discover that it is not just the dancers who have been transformed by Butoh. We leave the space with a heightened awareness not only of the intense physicality of this form, but also the way it places with our perceptions of the movement of time, and of space.

U-BU-SU-NA is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a performance that is both explosive and meditative. If you are up for the transformative experience of Butoh, and the work of Kentaro Kujirai and his company, do not miss this unique opportunity.

Category Archives: Reviews

THE GLORIOUS FRENCH REVOLUTION

★★★★

New Diorama Theatre

THE GLORIOUS FRENCH REVOLUTION at the New Diorama Theatre

★★★★

“The chaos is cut with emotion, and it’s carefully and cleverly structured”

THE GLORIOUS FRENCH REVOLUTION at the New Diorama Theatre

Reviewed on 18th November 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Alex Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

KING TROLL (THE FAWN) | ★★★★★ | October 2024

BRENDA’S GOT A BABY | ★★★ | November 2023

AFTER THE ACT | ★★★★★ | March 2023

PROJECT DICTATOR | ★★½ | April 2022

THE GLORIOUS FRENCH REVOLUTION

THE GLORIOUS FRENCH REVOLUTION

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

U-BU-SU-NA

★★★★★

Coronet Theatre

U-BU-SU-NA at the Coronet Theatre

★★★★★

“a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a performance that is both explosive and meditative”