The visual theatre programme at Aurora Nova epitomises the internationalism of the Edinburgh Fringe. At a preview performance in Prague, Mark Brown discovers a suitably universal highlight of this year’s programme.
rri\ing at thc Mantlmo 'l'hcatrc in thc
Smichm tlistrict ol l’raguc. ahcatl iii a
pcrl‘ormancc ol .\‘('l..\\'/: Song of an [Cm/grunt. lhc latcst show h} thc acclaimctl ('/cch compan_\ liarm in thc (Inc. I hcgin to gct a tingling scnsation. a curious scnsc ol anticipation which. as a thcatrc critic. I tch on|_\ rarch. 'l‘hc piccc I am ahout to scc will hc at this _\cai”s litlinhurgh liringc as part ol~ thc aw artl—winning programmc ol~ .v\urora \ma. thc \isual thcatrc lcstixal which has hccomc a h} -\\ortl l'or intcrnationalism antl qualit}.
.\l} trip to l’raguc comcs on thc rccommcntlation ol~ \\'oll‘gang llol'l'mann. :ll'll\llt‘ tiil't‘cltll' (ll. .-\lll't\l';l \ma. (ll\L'll lilc‘ man} succcsscs ol' llol‘l‘mann's programmc smcc its inccption in Mill lrom outstanding Russian companics llcrcxo l\\ ho pcrl‘orm again this )t‘ttt'i antl .\|shc. to thc ama/ing l’olish group Song ol' thc (ioat mi c\pcctations ol‘ thc ('/cch show arc high. .
\thn thc housc lights go down in thc S\antlo\o and thc sc\cn-strong cast ol‘ S('l--l\'l crupt onto thc stagc l‘rom insitlc a hattcrctl oltl wagon. l atn not tlisappointctl: it is as it. Bcrtolt
54 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE ‘
Brccht’s Mothcr ('ouragc has had hcr lamous cart hiiackctl h} a gang ol~ highl} cncrgctic S|a\ic l‘ollt tlanccrs. .-\ccompanictl h) lix c pcrcussion antl accortlion tnusic. thc c\traortlinar} pcrl‘ormcrs c\prcss. in mmcmcnt antl pol_\phonic song. thc stor} of an cmigrant's rcturn to his Slmalsian homclantl. 'l‘hc piccc is. h} turns. imigorating antl tlccpl} mming. .-\ man has rcturnctl l‘rom l‘orcign c\i|c to find himscll‘ a strangcr in his own land. His intcractions with his l'ormcr
SCLAVI: Song of an Emigrant (above and below) follows the difficult return of an emigrant to his Slovakian homeland
lo\cr and his old ncighhours arc rixcn with complications. 'l‘hc songs and tlanccs may hc tlclinitncl} Sla\ic. hlll lilL'\C rcl'lcctions ()ll thc cxpcricncc ol' migration arc primal antl tllli\c‘l‘s;tl.
Visually. thc piccc is t'c‘ic‘llllc‘ssl}' inx'cntix'c. In a world in which wc arc so inuntlatctl with imagcs w l'rom mass atlxcrtising to 'l‘\'. cincma and thc intcrnct 7 that wc sccm to hc on thc hrink ol \‘isual saturation. Aurora .\'o\a always proxitlcs shows which crcatc imagcry that wc ha\ c ncxcr sccn hcl'orc. So it is with .S'('l-'l\'/.
:\t onc point. luggagc is intcgratctl into thc piccc in a way which is both startlineg original and tlccply pcrtincnt to thc show's suhjcct. ln anothcr momcnt. thc pcrl'ormcrs tlancc with thcir shirts cmcring thcir l'accs. crcating an imagc which is rcminisccnt ol~ hoth thc anon) motis ligurcs in thc paintings ol chc Magrittc and an ot'cr-cxcitcd footballer cclchrating a crucial goal. th. although it has thc ttmblgtlil} ol Magrittc and thc cncrg)‘ ol' thc l‘oothallcr. it is an imagc \cr)’ spccilic to this show and its contcmplation of migration. it carries its own cmotional rcsonancc.