Translunar Paradise @ Pleasance Dome

Leaving is easier than being left behind

Feature by Claudia Marinaro | 25 Aug 2011

When his wife dies, the elderly protagonist of Translunar Paradise is left alone with the memories of a lifetime spent together. Their youth and maturity interlock as they dance, fight and kiss, in a whirl of shared moments that haunt the widower.

As the other productions by this talented company that I'd seen before, Translunar Paradise is sleek, well refined, and enchanting. But it isn't simply beautiful, or pleasant, to see: it's got an edgy, gritty quality difficult to locate. Maybe it's in the wrinkled masks with the furrowed brows, or in the harrowing soundtrack.

It is thanks to these details that the show is the gem it is. The plot, in fact, is not the most original, nor are the moments remembered, typical landmarks in the life of most couples: wooing, fighting, pregnancy. Underlying these movements, as most of the play, is the music of the accordion played with sentiment and skill by Kim Heron.

The show is worth seeing even just (but not only) for Heron's performance: she plays the accordion, sings, creates ticking clocks, moves props and holds the protagonists' masks. Without her music, Translunar Paradise would be a much more banal show than it is.

Equally deserving praise are the performances of George Mann and Deborah Pugh, both trained at the Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq, a school of mime and physical theatre based in Paris. The actors' physicality, the harmony with which their movements parallel and complement each other is truly remarkable and keeps the audience with their eyes wide open and fixed on them.

After seeing two shows by Theatre ad Infinitum last year, I was full of rather high expectations for their latest production. Despite a few parts being slightly obscure, the magic and sadness of this play, along with the tenderness and simplicity of the protagonists, makes for a captivating performance. Maybe it's because every now and then we like seeing some plain everyday life on stage; maybe it's because we can identify with the characters as they kiss goodbye or drink tea, but for some reason Translunar Paradise touches a chord that will make you cry and sigh in delight at the same time.

Until 29 Aug,15.40

Pleasance Dome

 

http://www.theatreadinfinitum.co.uk/home.html