A version of this review appeared in later editions of yesterday’s paper. The effect is weird but gripping, from an Australian choreographer little seen here We don’t get to see Baryshnikov often enough, either Catch him, if there are any tickets left.Till 12 June Booking: 0171-863 8000. The three women (Emanuele Phuon, Aedo, Shields) move like automata whose activity balances on a fine edge between parody and deconstruction. The middle section presents a duo centre stage, but elsewhere the dance almost seems to belong to the wings, its edges spilling out on to the stage, as dancers enter and exit from opposing sides.Lucy Guerin’s Two Lies (1977) also plays games, its choreography a twilight- zone transmutation of fundamental ballet premisses and its structure an exploration of the notion of deja vu. Trisha Brown’s Glacial Decoy (1979), the evening’s one known quantity, has black-and-white flies by Robert Rauschenberg, and silence, in which four women seem to act out games of hide-and-seek. Baryshnikov has assembled a diverse mix of choreographers and a handsome, contrasted bunch of dancers, well able to hold their own in technique. The Argument makes a wonderful closer to the programme.In fact, I enjoyed all the pieces (not always the case with White Oak).
He and three women (Raquel Aedo, Ruthlyn Sal- omons, Susan Shields) perform a suite of dances like overlapping monologues and conversations, evoking the different moods of the music (played by an onstage cellist and pianist). But by the second half, we were completely won over, as the choreography expanded in breadth and variety, and we saw a wonderful flurry of turns and angular warrior jumps.Mark Morris’s The Argument (1999), set to Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style, gives further evidence that Baryshnikov remains a stunning dance presence, with an explosive leap, spearing spins and a magnificently articulate body. A yellow-and-black-skirted costume resembling a pregnant parrot, male yeowing wails, along with flute and percussion, and minimal movement presented with Zen-like ritualistic concentration, provoked titters from some quarters. The part of Dr Nick – a Belgian biologist fascinated by all forms of animal reproduction, especially human – is particularly vulnerable to horrific hamming, yet Ed Sinclair sensibly plays it as straight as lines like “the world of rooster manipulation is full of casualties” will permit.
This production is yet another example of young actors in a studio setting who could teach their more high-profile elders a thing or two about comedy acting.Toby Farrow’s play is a product of Bristol Old Vic’s new Basement project: a testing ground for new writers away from the harsh glare of the publicity spotlight. While the main house – under the ever-mounting pressure of the spreadsheet and the quick commercial return – seems to have lost touch completely with BOV’s noble traditions, and is reduced to serving up John Godber’s Up `n’ Under, starring former England hooker Gareth Chilcott, it is cheering that deep in the bowels of one of Britain’s great regional theatres, the creative engine is still ticking over.And gratifying to see that the cold frame in the Basement is helping to feed the New Vic Studio’s adventurous and exciting programme of theatre for a new generation.Till 12 June Booking: 0117- 987 7877. WHITE OAK DANCE
PROJECT
SADLER’S WELLSLONDONWHEN YOU’RE as famous as Mikhail Baryshnikov, you are entitled to your own showcase company. White Oak Dance Project, founded nearly 10 years ago, completes Baryshnikov’s canny transition from youthfully airborne ballet prince to mesmerising modern dancer. Its arrival at Sadler’s Wells for four nights follows past London visits and repeats the format of Baryshnikov’s item (in solos or ensembles) alternating with pieces for the rest of the company. This time, though, Baryshnikov is the only man, surrounded by a harem of five women.
