An intriguing and ambitious performance art piece that integrates new technology and themes with ancient narratives.
As a young girl and her brother navigate a dying world populated with clay figures and mythical creatures bent on destruction, they discover the very real dangers of both dreams and reality. This international production by Tortoise in a Nutshell in co- production with Nordland Visual Theatre and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre, took to the Traverse Theatre’s stage to tell the mythical tale of Ragnarok with a Scottish twist as part of the Manipulate Festival. A festival dedicated to animated film, puppetry and visual theatre – with shows, events and workshops running in February, this show spectacularly fit the bill with endlessly moving parts and interdisciplinary wonders galore.
With a small tour underway, this ambitious show was a whirlwind from start to finish. Beautifully marrying technology and performance art, the audience was left open-mouthed on many occasions throughout the show with its magical reveals and fantastical cardboard set. Described as a live animation piece, this multisensory show carried out by four performers was truly unique. With beautiful live music and prerecorded voice overs supported by live animation, the hour and fifteen minutes was filled with fantastic visuals and stunning effects. The props and set design were a highlight to the piece and should be highly praised for their innovation and sheer creativity to support such a dynamic experience.
Although a stunning interdisciplinary display, the transitions were arduous and the narrative tired. The characters lacked depth and proceeded down their doomed path without reprieve till the end. Trying to keep hold of the narrative through the several minutes of set up was difficult and tiresome. Technological difficulties also made the audio difficult to hear at times and, mixed with the projection’s tendency to desync, both served to take the audience out of the world building so meticulously crafted. As a live performance, the show seemed to do too many things at once and lost sight of itself. By attempting to be new and innovative, they missed the mark.
This was a bold piece that challenged the audience from start to finish. It was beautiful and captivating and obvious care went into the technological feat of live animation. From a theatrical standpoint it felt like the audience was invited into watching process and not much in the way of product. The lack of narrative to engage with left this piece stale and the audience wanting in that regard. In terms of spectacle and innovation, this multisensory experience was astounding and inspiring, making way for new opportunities to tell classical tales if and when the balance between innovation and narrative can be found.
For other opportunities to see Ragnarok see their tour dates below:
Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock. Friday 16th 7.30pm – Saturday 17 February 2.30 & 7.30pm.
Dundee Rep, Dundee. Tuesday 20th 7.30pm – Wednesday 21st February 7.30pm.
Byre Theatre, St.Andrews. Friday 23 February 7pm.
Eden Court, Inverness. Tuesday 27th 7pm – Wednesday 28 February 1.30pm & 7pm.
Cumbernauld Theatre, Cumbernauld. Tuesday 5th 7.30pm – Wednesday 6 March 1pm & 7.30pm.
Lemon Tree, Aberdeen. Thursday 14th 7.30pm – Friday 15 March 10.30am & 7.30pm.
Platform, Glasgow. Wednesday 27th 7pm – Thursday 28 March 1pm.
REVIEWER: Cosette Bolt