Review-Beyond Time-NVAF
20-10-12
Tonight HKELD was invited to attend the opening program of the New Vision Arts Festival in Hong Kong. They chose Theatre-U's Beyond Time to be the opening event as it was such a rousing success at the last festival. I happened to be sitting next to a lady who saw it two years ago. "Don't worry, you won't have to say much." she says. "It's very good." She was very wise as this was an excellent show for NVAF to open with. It was entertaining, inventive and an excellent showcase of Asian fusion artistry.
Beyond Time isn't so much an avant garde piece but a transitory piece. It doesn't do artsy stuff for the sake of being artsy. It has great purpose in all its movements and is beautiful in its staging. Director Liu Ruo-yu did an excellent job assembling so many Asian art forms into one piece so seamlessly. It's a fusion of all things Chinese art into one pot: dance, art, music, chanting, poetry, martial arts, drumming, and throat singing. Now, I know throat singing is a personal taste for some people. I personally think it sounds like bull frogs vomiting but if you love it or have never heard it before this is the piece you want to see it in. It's excellent as a 101 course in all things Asian performance art.
This show is beautiful in its design. It was designed completely in the grey scale. It was beautiful and simple. I want to give special credit to the video designer, Hsu Yi-Chan who designed the first video based scenic design that I haven't hated. It was chic, modern and didn't come across as a gimmick. The eclipse scene was my favorite part of tonight's show and a major reason why was because of Hsu Yi-Chan's design choices.
Now, would I have known it was about the exploration of time if it hadn't of been in the title and explained in the program? No. The theme isn't apparent in all the scenes presented tonight but I don't think it makes the show any less valid or less entertaining. Did I get everything they were trying to say? No, probably not... But I did thoroughly enjoy myself at the NVAF and thought it was an excellent show. Beyond Time is only playing one more night in Hong Kong. Rush down to the box office and grab a ticket if you can. It's a beautiful piece of art that anyone from any culture can appreciate.
Beyond Time plays through October 20th at the Grand Theatre in TST as part of the New Vision Arts Festival for more information please click here.
Comments
Jen
I like throat singing!
20 October 2012