The End of Things @ Traverse Theatre
A series of devised impressions, however cleverly wrought, do not necessarily create a cogent work. The End of Things by Company of Wolves falls prey to this, and unfortunately becomes representative of a type of contemporary physical theatre that is beginning to feel wearisome.
The End of Things concerns itself with loneliness and warped emotions, as manifested through a malaise of disconnected human beings. While this is valid and pertinent, and performed adroitly, the pacing and choppy structure of this work results in an evening that just about hangs on its impressions.
Admittedly, The End of Things is part of a visual, rather than narrative, theatre festival, and there are many strong (moving) images. The performers’ sense of each other within the space is finely tuned, allowing seamless patterns of moving bodies to arise from nowhere and settle back down, with no conscious effort visible to the viewer. Some of the movement quality is cathartic in its deployment, particularly from the convulsing Jonathan Peck, whose body is never sure if it is liberated or constricted. His earlier duet with Robin Hellier is beautiful in the melting, morphing quality they exhibit together
As a whole, however, we skittishly skate through thematic rises and falls that regurgitate the same message. Each arc witnesses an emotion distorted from birth, that grows and expands through unconventional, frustrated outlets. The individuals come to experience pleasure, slide into violence or revolt at their own intolerable experiences. A high point of such giddy, jarring uncertainty involves teacups and pained, erotic spasms. The performances are generous, but the work becomes stale.
We are familiar with these devising situations, where the creative, thinking body produces surprise and delight, yet the final work becomes an indulgent play of malfunctions and discoveries brought to their sometimes perverse limits. In this oft self-contained, self-congratulatory arts bubble of ours, lots of companies have made pieces like The End of Things, but one wonders why we’re still making them.
Part of Manipulate festival 2017