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The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk

Bristol Old Vic via bristololdvic.org.uk

Reviewed – 4th December 2020

★★★★

“as vibrant as Chagall’s paintings but made more enchanting by the truly endearing performances”

Although Marc Chagall is often referred to as the ‘quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century’, Chagall preferred to see himself as representing “not the dream of one people but of all humanity”. A bold claim from one who was raised and immersed in his Jewish culture, but one that is justified. His work transcended the canvas and the artistic movements he helped shape, as he became involved in theatre, set and costume design; even painting the ceiling of the ‘Opéra Garnier’ in Paris. But he is best known for his varied repertoire of images that include melancholy clowns, flying lovers, fiddlers on roofs, circus performers and musicians. They are flights of fancy, which is why a dramatic celebration and portrayal of his life is such an attractive challenge for Emma Rice.

When it opened at the Bristol Old Vic in 2016, “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk” was Rice’s swansong for ‘Kneehigh’, although her love affair with the show goes back much further. And it is to the Old Vic that it returns, in association with both Kneehigh and ‘Wise Children’. A two-hander, although frequently supplemented by the musicians, it is as vibrant as Chagall’s paintings but made more enchanting by the truly endearing performances from Marc Antolin (as Chagall) and Audrey Brisson as his muse and wife, Bella. Antolin and Brisson together capture both the ecstasy and the cracks in their life together. They are not just flying lovers but fleeing lovers too – escaping the anti-Semitism that swept through Europe. Yet it avoids the panoramic perspective and focuses more on the intricate brush strokes of the lovers’ lives, and the personal sacrifices they make for each other.

The piece is a wonderful amalgam of dialogue, reflection, music and movement; and they all work beautifully together. Daniel Jamieson’s script is peppered with intimate detail that can reveal a lifetime of emotions within a few short words, accentuated by Rice’s inventive staging. Ian Ross’s heart-rending score is a constant undercurrent that bursts to the surface with its leitmotifs; seamlessly taking over when words alone are not enough. Yet it is the central performances of the two actors, and their onstage chemistry, that draw us in. Like Pierrot and Columbine their physicality becomes an extra language, to say nothing of their gorgeous singing voices.

This is a rare gem of a piece of theatre. Seldom does humour and magic sit so comfortably alongside poignancy and heartache. Chagall’s success in Berlin and Paris is shadowed by wartime persecution of the Jews: their culture is celebrated here, but we are also reminded of the fact that we are witnessing a culture that was ravaged. But above all, we are sharing a love story and this show is a celebration of that, as well as the artist. More than uplifting; you can see why these lovers are flying.

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Steve Tanner

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk

Live broadcasts from Bristol Old Vic until 5th December then streaming from 11th – 18th December via bristololdvic.org.uk

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★★

“not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be”

Imagining the “blood and destruction” that will sweep Italy, Marc Antony famously pictures the moment when Caesar’s spirit “Ranging for revenge, With Ate by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice, Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war”. Lacking true drama, threat or passion, Tom Coash’s play, sadly, never lives up to the promise of its title.

Mohammed El-Masri (James El-Sharawy) returns to a trashed flat in Egypt after six days of imprisonment and beatings at the hand of the government police forces. Weakened and shaken by his ordeal, he turns to English gent Nicholas Field (Marc Antolin) to help him escape the regime. After pleading with Karren Winchester’s bizarrely entertaining immigration officer Ms. Nevers, Nicholas gets the visa they need. But Mohammed’s love for his homeland is not so easily overcome, and he ends up facing a stark choice.

Told through various conversations taking place in Mohammed’s flat, Coash’s script introduces a vital topic for our times: the continued and frequent imprisonment and torture of gay men in countries across the world. And yet his play lacks any real intention or high stakes, and his characters remain forgettable. We meet Mohammed at the wrong time in his story so that the anguish of his ordeal draws less sympathy than it should. Considering this moment defines so much of the character’s actions, some sense of who he was before his imprisonment would have really added to our understanding of his character.

Director Pamela Schermann’s well-known skills never quite shine through in this production, hampered, perhaps, by the script. Time passes, but it is often unclear how much. Her actors do well however in the regular black-outs to change scene in character. Mohammed and Nicholas’ relationship struggles to convince however, and even an awkwardly placed scene where the pair reminisce about how they met (and handily fills us in on their history in the meantime) fails to make it clear who these characters really are and why they are trying to be together in the first place. The climax therefore lands with a dull thud. This story deserves more.

‘Cry Havoc’ has too many caricatures and not enough character. An important story that raises awareness of a global problem, but not quite the rallying cry to action it ought to be.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli