Edinburgh 2002

Fringe

The Golden Pavilion
The Garage

Lydia Esler

Company East presents a combination of modern dance, Japanese Noh theatre and Western theatre in an explosion of aggression and passion for a story, based on a novel by Yukio Mishima.

A man, the apprentice of the temple, has a terrible stutter. He is obsessed by the Golden Pavilion and in order to free himself from the obsession he sets fire to the pavilion by the end of the piece.

The word ensemble certainly describes this performance troupe. They work together perfectly fluidly using dance, stunts and drama in a finely tuned and perfected performance of passionate and aggressive movement motifs. From the beginning of the production it is an all encompassing and overwhelming performance, felt by both performer and audience. The minute the intensely coloured lights go up on the figures and the raging music begins you will be gripped and locked in, as though on a rollercoaster ride at a theme park.

The theme is violence, obsession and desire and the ride is intense, not stopping for breath and continuing until after the curtain call (which in itself is a farewell ritual). An ancient Japanese belief that in order to be free one must rid himself of all material things - mother, father, enemies and possessions, is paralleled in the performance of the Company East cast. The dedication with which they embrace the performance is outed in a visual explosion of bodies moving freely but succinctly in the space. The control of their bodies reflects themes pertaining to control of the soul.

The performance is multi-lingual: delivery of the tale is successfully exposed through their visual representation of the story and because the majority of the dialogue is in Japanese. A man screaming in Japanese at you for a minute and a half may seem impossible to understand or appreciate, but the intention in his delivery is so gripping that you find yourself developing your own understanding of what he is saying.

The Golden Pavilion clearly discusses violence and ritual and does not sit on the fence when deciding where the characters fit in. In one sequence a soldier orders the apprentice to kick a woman in the womb so hard and persistently that the baby would die - a horrific sight but a horror that the audience share in. Screams, chants and pained vocals accompany the dances as the performers use their whole being to deliver the tale.

Not to be taken lightly and possibly too intense for the faint hearted, but if you want an hour of absorption and intense, beautifully honed performance this is a 'must see'. It will leave you gasping for breath.

Until August 26: 15.15 (1hr).