| Circle of Fifths: “Genre-bending, Risk-taking Piece of Wales-rooted Theatre" |
At National Theatre Wales |
| National Theatre Wales , Dance House Cardiff , June 23, 2022 |
The record is there. The headcount soared to the same degree that theatre productions thinned. The attention on other activities was flagrant. A production that is received with warmth does not now occur often. But so it is with “Circle of Fifths.”The IWA was there: “...But Circle of Fifths, the company’s latest production is so much more than the kind of tick-box programming exercise that has occasionally become the target of satire in the past. “By allowing members of the Cardiff docks community to speak for themselves about their experiences of grief and loss, Gavin Porter’s ‘live documentary’ travels far beyond the cliche of ‘diverse’ Welsh life in Tiger Bay. Instead, Circle of Fifths taps into the universality of human emotions around death, and in particular the ceremonies we make to deal with them. “It is a funeral in five acts: each suffused with raw stories of grief taken from the performers’ real lives “A funeral is its own kind of theatre. Together with the sensitivity of the subject matter – for who among us has not lost somebody we love? – this makes the creation of funeral-based art both a little easier and far more difficult. “Although the central prop is a coffin gaudily decorated in tiger motifs and dominoes – a nod to the game most beloved of Cardiff docks’ merchant seamen and their descendants – it is left empty to allow each of the cast members, and the audience, to project their own experiences of loss and grief. “Meanwhile, stories from some present-day residents of Butetown are projected on screens and mirrors around a room at Dance House, carpeted with wet turf that transmutes the whole scene into a dream landscape somehow suspended between the realms of life and death. “And although it combines elements of theatre, film and dance, by far the most important artform in Circle of Fifths is music: not just a vehicle for the expression of emotion or even for connection between performers and audience, it is the production’s muse. “Its title refers to music theory. The twelve chromatic pitches are illustrated in a circle divided into ‘perfect fifths’ in a clockwise progression. Some of the jazz standards played adhere to the principles of the circle of fifths, but there is also an analogy here with the stages of a funeral – each of which, it is subtly posited, is vital for the harmonisation of our collective goodbyes, our coming to terms with loss and grief. “At the end of a powerful hour and a half during which each member of the audience is surely drawn into their own introspective reflections on the people we have loved and lost, we reach The Celebration. Beer, soft drinks, Welsh cakes and samosas are served, evoking the atmosphere of a real life wake. A display of multicoloured metallic balloons dedicates the production: ‘To the Elders of Cardiff Docks, Butetown and Tiger Bay / Those Who Came Before Us and Paved the Way’. “But before we reach this moving finale, during which cast and audience members greet and hug and cry real tears, we are invited to participate in The Gathering, The Procession, The Service and “It is a funeral in five acts: each suffused with raw stories of grief taken from the performers’ real lives; each underscored by the redemptive, healing power of music. “There is an eclectic mix of styles, as you would expect from a community long celebrated as one of Britain’s oldest and richest multicultural districts. Kiddus, of Caribbean/Indian/Filipino/Welsh heritage and raised Rastafari, describes his own musical stylings as ‘splicing R&B, punk, afrobeat, indie-pop and drill into something starkly unique’. And he is just one of seven seemingly endlessly talented performers. “Circle of Fifths is a genre-bending, risk-taking piece of Wales-rooted theatre. Between enlivening the performance as a multi-instumentalist, Francesca Dimech, from a Maltese/Italian family, relays the story of her late grandmother, who despite the drama of her youth – dancing on a table with Mussolini, and pushing a Nazi soldier down a staircase – is touchingly remembered best for her famously unwashed Christmas jumper. “Maureen Blades is a real life local funeral arranger. Wella is the definition of a local character, admitting: ‘I haven’t always walked the good path in life, and those who know me, know I’ve turned my life around.’ Their performances are extraordinary. “The fact that the artists who comprise the cast for Circle of Fifths are not from what we usually call a ‘theatre background’ is perhaps crucial to the show’s spectacular success. Director Gavin Porter explains in the programme notes that: ‘They’re just being themselves. Everything is a creative decision but at the same time, a lot of it is their truth.’ “Drumtan – musician, composer and bandleader – calls it ‘God’s magic’: song, music and dance as primeval forms of human expression that invoke the soul, helping bridge the painful gap between the living and the dead. “In common with the best of NTW’s output over the years, Circle of Fifths is a genre-bending, risk-taking piece of Wales-rooted theatre. But its most striking aspect lies perhaps in a simpler, deeper description: a group of talented local people getting together to work something out. Life in all its diversity; death in all its universality. “One of the play’s most surprising musical moments is a few bars of ‘Tender’ by Blur, hauntingly rendered by Rose Beecraft Music. ‘Love’s the greatest thing that we have,’ wrote Damon Albarn back in 1999, a sentiment echoed in 2022 by Tiger Bay’s own musical chameleon Drumtan: ‘The greatest thing we’ll ever learn is to love and be loved in return’. It’s a lesson worth experiencing Circle of Fifths to remember in all its beauty and truth.” * * * * Buzz Magazine was there: “Grief is almost always complex in our culture. The English language doesn’t have the words we need to express how painful loss is, how much we feel for the family members left behind or what it’s like to have love to give to someone who isn’t there to receive it. Taking you through the traditions of a Butetown funeral, National Theatre Wales’ latest production Circle Of Fifths explores art’s role in making up for this lack in our language. It is a celebration of the healing power of music, storytelling, and community. “Once you arrive at the Wales Millennium Centre, you are immediately dropped into a wake’s strange and familiar world. People chatting or standing around awkwardly, unsure where to put themselves; music playing; friends hugging that haven’t seen each other for years. You’re told that this is how all funerals in Butetown start: gathering outside the home of the deceased and catching up with loved ones you haven’t seen in a lifetime. “Once you follow the coffin into Dance House itself, you’re hit with the uncomfortable smell of decay coming from the grass covering the floor of the studio. As you all gather, and you listen to joyous songs intertwined with tragic stories of grief and loss, you’re compelled to consider the bittersweet strangeness of our funeral practices. The celebration of life coupled with the despair of death. “One of the key challenges when creating immersive theatre is allowing the audience into the experiences of the cast – to put them in a place where they are not just seeing but feeling. Gavin Porter’s remarkable piece is not only successful but exemplary in this pursuit. The way you are led, and the space you’re encouraged to take up, not only allows you to feel involved but to feel comfortable laughing with the performers – and to feel safe to cry with them. “The ensemble has no small part to play in this incredible experience. A collective of actors, musicians, and artists, many of whom work outside of theatre, their rawness and honesty keep the audience feeling engaged, safe, and held throughout. Their stories and performances invite you to sit with your own experiences of loss and create a space for catharsis unlike any I have ever seen in a theatre before. “Wella and Drumtan are forces of nature, whose humour and passion pump the heartbeat of the piece. Kiddus and Bianca Ali’s powerful and evocative lyrics and poetry beautifully express the immensity of loss, and their performances are enthralling. "The musical offerings of Rose Beecraft and Francesca Dimech are in equal parts joyous and heartbreaking, demonstrating the powerful role music has in allowing us to express and explore our own hurt. Maureen Blades’ stoic guidance holds the piece together, and her vulnerability is a beautiful and generous experience. “The performances are alive and in the moment, with the cast frequently surprising each other and making each other laugh. This only adds to the sense of shared experience and communal healing that comes from attending Circle Of Fifths – you feel you are part of something real and stark and spiritual. “A testament to the power and talent of working-class artists and the ability of theatre to open pathways to healing, Circle Of Fifths is one of the best works to come from National Theatre Wales in recent years. It proves that inviting non-traditional theatre performers to share in the experience of making theatre is not only valuable to the Welsh arts scene, but it is also essential. No amount of description from me will express the experience of seeing this show. I urge you to see it if you can.” Abridged from the full reviews which can be read at: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2022/06/review-circle-of-fifths/ https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/ntw-circle-of-fifths-cardiff-stage-review/ |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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