Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Murder – A Tantalizing Scratch [*]

Deliciously wicked, Murder is a work in progress presented by Erth at WTF 2012 (Source: Brisbane Powerhouse).
A short review for a short work – Erth’s Murder is excellent. This piece was a tantalizing sample of what will be a deliciously grotesque and dark work. The promenade piece is a brief work-in-progress showing of the upcoming feature that will be presented at Brisbane Powerhouse later this year. Examining the cultural obsession of homicide, murder and death, Murder smashes its description and its brief performance left us wanting more and really looking forward to the full piece.

Initially, the audience are asked to equip headsets, which crackled with frequency and feedback effects before a man’s sullen voice instructed us to where our destination was, and what to look at and for along the way. This feature was brilliant, the sound adding to the atmosphere and the whole affair providing an inclusion to the audience that was exclusive and intimate, while heightening a sense of alienation. Revealing where real life people had met their ends and adding the reports of ghost sightings was ridiculously interesting.  The highlight of the piece was the puppetry, which was introduced after one of the most enigmatic and intriguing moments in which it was revealed the body of a girl had been found at the bottom of a stairway.

Accompanied by an eerie piece of music that described the events of two murders, the piece was superbly executed by four puppeteers who were clad in black to ensure there was no attention taken away from the puppet characters. The character designs were something as if out of a nightmare, each having a feature that was obscenely exaggerated. Despite their grotesque features which suggested the notion that they were some kind of manifestation of evil. It felt that they were almost crafted to create a sense of accessibility to the audience through their human characteristics, and each had a distinct walk and way of moving through their small stage. The story was dark and disturbing, but it’s utterly engaging and irresistibly intriguing.

The piece ran for just 10 minutes, but the concept and execution of the piece is incredible. This piece is oozing with potential and the anticipation for a full-length showing is almost too much. It’s not for the faint hearted or those who like lighter works, but Murder is seductively intriguing and deliciously tantalizing.

‘Murder’ presented by Erth Visual & Physical Inc. showed on 23-26 February at Brisbane Powerhouse’s World Theatre Festival. Duration of 10 minutes. Recommended for persons aged 15 and over. Visit the World Theatre Festival Official Website for more information.

No comments:

Post a Comment