NAKED is a powerful, funny and thoroughly engaging piece of physical theatre. It is the first show from performers Luke Vincent and Paige-Marie Baker-Carroll of the NAKEDpresents queer collective, but they have been developing it since drama school. Wordless, NAKED blends techniques often usually associated with European theatre with pure contemporary dance, to explore the nature of close relationships, in a way that feels particularly relevant to a year that many couples have spent together, for better or for worse.
Vincent and Baker-Carrol perform throughout almost naked, emerging at the start from a plastic wrap cocoon that binds them together, creating an image that is both beautiful and alarming, as they struggle to free themselves. They perform in various styles, including mime, acrobatics and dance.
A stand-out scene involves Baker-Carrol bearing Vincent’s full weight as he stands on her back while she rises from lying to standing, transferring him to her shoulders. It is both nicely symbolic and properly thrilling. The soundtrack is eclectic and enjoyable, from Jacques Brel to Radiohead via the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At one point recorded interviews discuss what is feels like to share a bed with someone else.
The performance is very intimate, as both are using their bodies to express the tides, nuances, conflicts and dependencies of being close to another human being. The pure expressiveness of their work is exceptional on the British stage, and it is no surprise that they have both studied and performed in Europe. They are so cool that I assumed at first they were Belgian or Polish. In fact, they are very much themselves.
NAKED have produced exactly the sort of show you would be delighted to find at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, probably at Summerhall. Their work is original, charming and distinctive with the two engaging, remarkable performers just starting out on what should be fascinating journey.
You can watched NAKED on demand until 22 November 2020.
from News, Reviews and Features – My Theatre Mates https://ift.tt/2IS0aKu
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