This is one deeply, darkly sophisticated piece of theatre. ‘Life Still’ is a virtuoso puppetry performance, where objects are invested with startlingly nuanced personalities, before being turned back into objects. The transition between life and stillness is breathtaking. An array of unexpected and ever-morphing characters make their way violently and frenetically across the stage, accompanied by a minimalist soundtrack and a looped echo of their comings and goings. The show is at its best when a minimum of material is used, as in the memorable torture of a sack of cloth and the bickering of two turkeys made from pillows. Highly atmospheric, though lacking in overall direction: a patchwork of brilliance, rather than a seamless tapestry.
Pleasance Courtyard, 3 – 29 Aug (not 25), 3.40pm (4.40pm), £8 – £10, fpp275.
tw rating 4/5
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Sections: by Ivan Juritz - ED2011 Theatre Reviews - tw rating 4/5 | Tags: Folded Feather, The Pleasance
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