A SINGLE rope hangs in space, curling womb-like around a lone figure, high above the stage.
It is the start of a delightful performance by Matilda Leyser which combines circus-style aerial skills with physical theatre to convey a powerful view of one woman’s life.
We see that life unfold quite literally and progress from cradle to grave. Here is the toddler finding her unsteady feet, then comes the wistful, yearning of early womanhood, marriage, motherhood and the completion of the circle as life’s end is reached.
Matilda performs an extraordinary aerial duet with the rope which allows her to create in the air much of the life we live on the ground. But she also reveals the singularity which is the thread holding her life together.
It is at time playful, at others almost balletic. But it is always dextrous, powerful and utterly engaging.
A hard act to follow perhaps but the performers of aerial company Ockham’s Razor more than delivered.
In a rectangular frame two performers offer Memento Mori, a riveting Dance of Death which sees a spectral figure overwhelming the vibrant red velvet clad figure of the woman he holds in an ultimately fatal embrace.
Here again there was skill and strength, but also empathy and trust between the performers and at times a tangible feeling of repose.
We were given as a finale, Every Action, a piece for four performers, four building blocks and a rope running over a pair of pulleys.
And what a gift this was. It was physical, funny and with a hint of romance. The performers use their wits and their weight to counterbalance every move the others made. And that said it all about this company which clearly approves of medieval philosopher Ockam’s Razor principle of achieving the right result by choosing the simplest solution, in this case, the simplicity of excellence.
