One-man movement-based rendition of “Paradise Lost”
What if everything you worked to create suddenly fell out of control? Adapting John Milton’s 1667 epic poem Paradise Lost would be no small feat for any medium, but when taken into the realm of a one-man dance piece the epic quality of the original text is brought down to earth. Crafted by Ben Duke with his award-winning dance company Lost Dog, this original performance is brought back to life after ten years to take the Battersea Arts Centre’s Council Chambers by storm in a flurry of hellfire.
Milton’s Paradise Lost is a multi-layered epic that tells the story of the creation of the universe by God, Lucifer’s fall from Heaven and the Angelic War that succeeded it. The age old tale of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden is described, foreshadowing the future consequences that this event has on human history.
Lead performer Sharif Afifi takes on the task of recreating all of this lore, mainly through ecstatic movement and expressive dance. With the stage bare, aside from a wide white cloth, Afifi has little else but his body, and a bunch of chickpeas and rope, to recreate the biblical battles of Heaven. But his impressive use of expression and rapid movements have the power to manufacture the biggest battles and smallest scenes within the audience’s minds.
The power of this rendition of Paradise Lost is in the way that it does not take itself too seriously. Afifi brings us into his world by beginning to the read a section of the original text, only to assure a woman in the audience that he is in fact not going to read the whole thing. This joking quality to his performance immediately ensnares the audience, allowing us to take in his rendition of the piece with a smile on our faces.
Intertwined through his evocations of the doings of God and Lucifer, Afifi occasionally takes us into the modern day. Short scenes of him lovingly coaxing his daughter to get into the car or moments of meta-theatre which see him rehearsing for the exact show we are watching are interspersed. These aspects elevate the piece, because they begin to draw parallels between God’s own creations and that of a normal, human father. What do we do if we cannot control our creations? What does it feel to have all the power in the world but someone – your little daughter, Adam and Eve – just won’t listen to you?
Equal parts playful and profound, this re-staging of Lost Dog’s captivating one-man show is an absolute must see.
