D. Ruben Ingwersen, Jérémi Levesque, Natasha Patterson, Brin Schoellkopf, Jarrod Takle, Sabine Van Rensburg
Circus acrobats know how to fly – or something close to it – but it’s not every day that they let the audience soar with them. The young Canadian ensemble People Watching, which only came together during the pandemic, has brought its debut piece to Berlin, and what a spectacle it is.
Over the course of two hours, the eight performers construct a world entirely their own, combining classic circus elements – acrobatics, trapeze, spinning plates, even clowning – with theatrical storytelling, expressive dance and just a dash of tasteful nudity. Comprised of a seamlessly flowing choreography that is at once delicate and powerful, Play Dead lifts you off your seat and tosses you into its gravity-defying universe.
As I watched, mouth agape, as the artists tumbled, twisted and took flight, I was reminded of how British rugby player Max Lahiff once described his pre-match excitement: “You’ve got the enthusiasm, but the anxiety’s there, and it kind of coalesces into sort of a psychosis that allows you to throw yourself – willingly – into a melee of well-nourished shoulders.” Play Dead has a way of inspiring an almost irresistible urge to throw yourself into the melee of the well-nourished bodies onstage. Drama, emotion, seduction – this production is a feast for the eyes.
- Chamäleon, Rosenthaler Str. 40/41, Mitte, dates through June, no language, details.
