Having read an article in the Guardian about Calixto Bieto I was excited to see Celestina previewing at the Birmingham Rep. His work has been described as immediate, unimaginable and exciting, but also criticised for being pure sensationalism, and shock tactics. Sensation or revelation- I wanted to decide for myself.
It seemed all the elements were there for a thrilling show. Visually it was impressive and it was obvious that the director was full of exciting ideas, but despite the visual artistry something seemed to be missing.
Celestina felt hollow. It lacked emotion, it lacked relationships, there was no tension, no conflict, nothing that seemed to justify the brutal, sexualised murder of Celestina. I found the characters difficult to identify with- their positions in relation to one another were not easy to identify. The company didn’t seem to be working together, the give and take, the responsiveness of the cast, didn’t help me access the web of emotions that I’m sure exist within this play. Some of the characters felt isolated from the rest, as if performing in a different play altogether. The audibility was also dreadful at times, one character in particular was impossible to hear and the spatial awareness of the cast was also quite haphazard increasing my detachment. Individually there were some good performances, but it is the whole I am more interested in. The whole world has to work for me to believe in it. I was left feeling isolated, uninvolved and bewildered, with just a nice set, costumes and music to listen to.
Audience members began leaving about halfway through, and not because the play was 'controversial', or because they were ‘close minded’ or found it ‘repugnant’ but because, simply, it was difficult to endure. 21/2 hours without an interval is not really bearable, especially when a play is difficult to follow and the heat is stifling. I wondered on the director’s reasons for the lack of interval and can only assume he does it to involve the audience more in the story. Sure, it may be 'convention' to have an interval, but on this night, in this heat, it was NECESSARY. We are only human!!.
Despite the apparent criticism I level at this performance I will be seeing it again to see how it has developed. There is obviously a director with many ideas and approaches working behind this show and I hope that it was just the first night blues that affected the performances. I did sit through till the end wanting it to come together. Maybe it will when it returns to the Rep, I hope it does. Sensationalism means nothing to me, sex or no sex, all I want from theatre is to be allowed to understand or be ‘involved’ with what I see on stage. I hope that Bieto’s direction is not just for shock, not just superficial invention but also has a heart, and can lead an audience on the journey along with the characters.
I rate this 3 for potential, but the performance I saw was a 2 star at best! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.173.41.66)
25 Aug 04
weak storyline, not developed, on the whole poor acting (Mirabeia excepted)some tedious scenes (the party) and offensive scenes (selling the virgin).
But, visually excellent, stage set and musicians good. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.36.28.136)
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[TMA] member. Minicom Bookings - 0121 236 4455. Building work planned to start in 2011 which will last for 2 years. During this time REP will be performing at different venues across the city.
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