On Tuesday the 7th of February I went to go and see a solo performance at the Lincoln drill hall called From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads. This was a show about one man’s obsession with David Bowie, eating disorders and the absence of his father.
This show was a semi-autobiographical piece by writer and director Adrian Berry. It followed a young man (Martin) on his birthday following a map that his dad left behind when he had left Martin and his mum. The aesthetic of the piece was well-lit with bright vibrant colours, very suggestive of being Bowie-esque and the story-telling was really interesting to listen too. What the show didn’t do was base itself around the death of David Bowie (something which before coming into the show I was sceptical about). In actual fact in focused on Bowie very little and actually used him as a springboard in order to tell a heart-warming story.
Alex Walton (Martin) as a sole performer managed to create over seven characters within the space of the show. On top of that, he also played the narrator. It was interesting to watch the shift in dynamic between Alex playing a character to him then playing the narrator. There was a shift in atmosphere, lighting and his physicality. The show didn’t have a spectacular set which I felt worked in it’s favour. There were two scaffolds covered in the cellophane. The structure was lit from the back which created some dazzling colours and proved rather effective. The story did all the work for us. There was a back and forth characterisation. What I mean to say is that Alex used the space and the set in such a way to establish two characters in a room when, obviously, there was a single performer on the stage. In other words, he interacted with himself.
There was pre-recorded voice for some of the more omniscient characters. The psychiatrist for instance was characterised by a woman’s voice which was created via a pre-recording. This worked particularly well for the performance as it helped to create a more dynamic show. There was also video footage which was pre-recorded. It was almost like the show at certain moments, transcended the theatrical space and the Drill Hall and occurred in London.
The aspect of story-telling really fascinates me. Last week, I watched Spalding Gray’s Swimming To Cambodia. This show is performed by Gray as a very comic, very rhythmic and very poetic piece of storytelling. The shifts in time, pace and the inclusion of a score were particular highlights of the show’s capacity to engage an audience. I believe engagement to be key in not just solo performance but theatre as a whole. It is especially difficult to create engagement with the audience if you are one person creating a show to be performed by one sole performer. That being said I thought that Swimming To Cambodia did this extremely well.
This clip titled ‘What New York Does To You’ is one that I have picked out for Gray’s use of characterisation and the aesthetical premise of his show. At the beginning of the show, Gray walked into the space through the same door that the audience entered. This made the show non-theatrical in the sense that Spalding did not enter from the wings or from behind the stage. This immediately established a relationship to the audience. The use of the microphone helped Gray to create his characters through the use of an audible reverb. The use of the glass of water helped to punctuate the story. It created natural pauses and allowed the story to shift both in time and place. These elements are very simple and yet proved to be so effective. The narrative and the ‘theatricality’ of the show was primarily conveyed in the words coming out of Spalding’s mouth. He did make use of maps throughout the piece which helped to articulate the story-telling rather than add to the spectacle.
Another interesting solo performance which I saw last year was O No! written and performed by Jamie Wood.
Here is the trailer:
The show, which premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival was a psychedelic, show that paid homage to Yoko Ono, John Lennon and the avant-garde. The performance was inspired by Ono’s instruction books: Grapefruit (1964) and Acorn (2013), a continuation of Grapefruit. The piece was extremely comic and incredibly moving. It featured a large amount of audience interaction which worked right from the beginning of the show. As we walked into the auditorium, Wood greeted us and ‘blessed’ us. This ‘introduction’ helped to make an immediate connection with the audience before they had even sat in their seats. Similarly to Swimming To Cambodia it dispelled the fourth-wall. O No! actually takes audience interaction to a whole new level in comparison to Swimming To Cambodia. At various points of the show Wood invites members of the audience to come and ‘perform’ on the stage. They interact with objects Wood gives to them and the show during this comes about communal love. Lyn Gardner said that the show wasn’t just about silliness “Wood both sends up Ono and pays homage to her, and through the act of performance demonstrates how art and love are natural allies.” (Gardner, 2015). I would say that this is very true.
Promotional Image from ‘O No!’ (The Guardian, 2015)
Promotional image from ‘O No!’ (The Guardian, 2015)
These three shows contain: Storytelling
Audience interaction (Direct and Non-direct)
Performing of the self – first and foremost
Simplistic set
Comedy
Music / Score
Inspiration
Work cited:
Lincoln Drill Hall. From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads. Available from: https://www.lincolndrillhall.com/events/from-ibiza-to-the-norfolk-broads [Accessed 9th February 2017]
YouTube. What New York Does to You. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI4NvgpjXYo [Accessed 9th February 2017]
YouTube. Jamie Wood – O No! Trailer. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDuRdbQ6U88 [Accessed 9th February 2017]
Gardner, L. (2015) O No! at Edinburgh festival review – the Yoko Ono route to enlightenment. The Guardian. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/14/o-no-edinburgh-festival-review-yoko-ono-assembly-roxy-jamie-wood [Accessed 9th February 2017]