Last Friday and Saturday nights, stage number one of The Street Theatre was jam-packed full of young Canberra talent. There were singers, rock musicians, classical strings and dancers. Dancers, we were told, who will soon be auditioning for Beyonce’s manager. Inspired by a Walt Whitman line I thought I was not alone, walking by the shore, up-and-coming Canberra band Sidney Creswick combined forces with youth dance program Fresh Funk to bring movement to the songs performed. The result was very hipster angst, but that isn’t a bad thing.
The band with additional strings (violin, cello and double base) performed in the middle of the stage, and the moody scene was set by paper lanterns dropping from the sky like full moons. The atmosphere was full-on, heady romance and ripped-out heartache. Nick Cave would have felt very at home with the piece, which highlights one of the trickier elements of this type of work: heartache needs a certain amount of gravitas, and I’m not sure such young performers are the most convincing choice, but I might just be showing my age.
The piece began with spoken word, and cycled through epic songs of love and loss. The dancers performed around them, sometimes using the front of the stage, sometimes weaving through the musicians in what was a clever use of space and levels. Some dancers were particularly engaging: one male dancer with a Mick Jagger-esque physique looked like he was close to snapping his spine in some of the more energetic moves; in others it looked like he was close to committing suicide as he lounged forlornly by the side of the stage. However, the dancers perhaps weren’t necessary for every scene. Or the style could have been changed up a little. Modern dance is great – the different shapes that are created, the different tempos – but it can be very repetitive in a ninety-minute performance.
The music and singing were fantastic. The lead has a rich voice, and in the spoken word sections displayed an impressive sense of poetic timing. However, he was very theatrical – pained facial expressions and body contortions – which were distracting and unnecessary as the lyrics spoke for themselves.
The other discordant note of the performance was the social media aspect. The sign outside the theatre instructed the audience to keep their phones on – but we were never told why. Some filmed or took snaps with their smart phones, but there didn’t seem to be any particular strategy or follow up to this instruction, which seemed like a missed opportunity.
In general, this was a strong performance by people who will no doubt grow into a bright future. Watch this space.
