PANDORA
The Coronet Theatre
★★★★
“A unique and refreshing angle on the role of movement in theatre”
I first saw the work of the Italian company Teatro dei Gordi at the Coronet Theatre two years ago and I knew right away that this is an extraordinary team of creatives that have a lot to offer to the world of physical theatre and theatre in general. After watching Pandora, I was certain that my first instinct couldn’t have be more accurate. Using a public toilet as a backdrop, they bring to us a set of stories comprised of movement, music, collaboration, multirolling and masks.
With physicality as the main device, the narratives that unfold onstage express everything and anything that life can be: funny, tragic, absurd, scary, wholesome. The circumstances get more and more ridiculous, but a beautiful connection of familiarity is built with the audience. We start off with a germaphobe who struggles to navigate the inevitable nastiness of a public toilet. Characters come and go, some chirpy, some rushing, some trying to fix their problems and some helping out others. One minute you see a trainee chef whose dreams literally go down the toilet, the next an incredibly graceful stilt walker waltzes in. It’s a fascinating frenzy of the unexpected.
The company consists of six performers, Claudia Caldarano, Cecilia Campani, Giovanni Longhin, Andrea Panigatti, Sandro Pivotti and Mateo Vitanza. All of them involved in the creation of Pandora and all of them bringing to the table a distinctive set of skills and unique comedic manners. They work together under the direction of Riccardo Pippa, enhancing the natural physicality we see and perform every day ourselves, without the necessity of overly elaborate stunts or tricks.
There isn’t a continuous plot, but a set of individual stories that sort of merge into one another with different characters commanding the stage. The individual stories are intriguing, saying a lot in a short period of time and with minimal, or none at all, use of language. However, it’d be more fascinating to see a potential connection, or a constant, to bring them together, like in the company’s previous show, Sulla Morte Senza Esagerare. Still, the first story returns in the end, providing a hilarious closing to a wonderful and uplifting piece of performance.
The set, designed by Anna Maddalena Cingi, is a realistic and very detailed public bathroom, where every piece of toilet paper, sink, urinal and stall is used in a manner of genius resourcefulness. In the beginning of the show, everything is neat and clean and by the end, the human touch has created a vibrant space of mayhem.
The colourfully lit background gives an artistic and playful touch to the stage, while also providing a sense of time passing and tone changing. The actors are mostly lit with realistic tones, which contrast, light design by Paolo Casati, works perfectly, as it creates an element of realism amongst the absurdity of the stories.
Pandora is a masterclass on physical theatre, a unique and refreshing angle on the role of movement in theatre. Pandora’s box has been opened and will keep drawing us in to see what else the Italian company have to mesmerise us with.
PANDORA
The Coronet Theatre
Reviewed on 28th February 2025
by Stephanie Christodoulidou
Photography by Noemi Ardesi
Previously reviewed at this venue:
STRANGER THAN THE MOON | ★★★ | December 2024
U-BU-SU-NA | ★★★★★ | November 2024
THE BELT | ★★★★★ | September 2024
THE BECKETT TRILOGY | ★★★★★ | June 2024
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER | ★★★ | September 2023
RHYTHM OF HUMAN | ★★★★★ | September 2023
LOVEFOOL | ★★★★ | May 2023
DANCE OF DEATH | ★★★★★ | March 2023
