Within Range @ Zoo Southside

Maybe it was me, but I had difficulties orientating to Within Range – so it might useful to temper some expectations. Most shows billed as physical theatre are theatre with a small amount of dance movement. Within Range is the reverse.

Although it starts off with theatrical trappings, it soon becomes a dance-led piece with episodes of theatre. The viewer needs to be prepared to put their dance spectacles on pretty quickly. There isn't the traditional theatrical hook of a love story or plot reveal on which to hang the show's exploration of living under a Stasi regime. The piece is about raw emotions rather than narrative. Connected vignettes show how every aspect of life is 'within range' of the Stasi, how no-one can be trusted, how everyone betrays... even lovers. The performances make the personal political in the most uncomfortable and violent way.

It sounds bleak, and perhaps it is, but there's humour and great variety in the show: historical skits, 'tourist' scenes, comic dance, interrogation, disco, romance, torture.

But do we care about the Stasi? Aren't they part of a period long gone? The great strength of Within Range is that it uses dance to abstract the universal emotions behind the betrayal and abuse of power, rather than allowing the experience to be 'dated' by its historical context.

Within Range is properly uncomfortable, thought provoking and visceral. Ultimately, the emphasis on the Stasi period felt like a distraction from the universal nature of the themes. But that is as much a compliment to the power of the performances and choreography as it is a complaint.