His Majesty's Theatre, Perth
A folkloric blend of circus and story telling, Donka (Russian for the little bell found at the end of a fishing line - a favourite pastime of the playwright); dazzles and bewitches with a beautifully whimsical showcase of acrobats and poets, aerialists, jugglers, actors and clowns.
I wish I were more familiar with the works of Chekhov, but for one reason or another have only really had the chance to catch The Seagull, performed a couple of years ago at WAAPA. I realised then, to my surprise, that Chekhov had a rather humourous bent in his characterizations and dialogue - an aspect which had initially been overshadowed in the dramatic and somber staging of his original works by renowned director and veritable theatre god, Constatin Stanislavski.
Despite only passing familiarity with Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard, you can still guess at their cultural contributions in this letter to Chekhov.
Resplendent with a nostalgic glow and winking at a time of vaudeville, writer/ director/ designer and choreographer Daniele Finzi Pasca with orchestrations, sound design and additional movement by Maria Bonzanigo - has filled the stage with a dream vision of life, infused with giddy child-like joy - a playful, peopled sunny world, full of mystery, adventure, friendship and heart.
My favourite excerpts were the visual trick of musclemen performing acrobatic feats of amazement and wonder... on the floor! And circus artist David Menes spinning, twirling, reeling... as rose petals fluttering from sky to earth, sunset bathing scene to starkly highlight the remaining silhouettes. Like a totem evoking Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (surely an inspiration in the inception of Daniel Cyr's life size wheel) it was a mesmerizing feat of imagination, and the audience was hypnotized.
Highly recommended, with the broken English spoken by the Teatro Sunil players in turns amusing and charming; and it's very likely the foreign fare box office hit of this year's Perth International Arts Festival.
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