Michael Seaver enjoys a rare treat at a performance of Sarpagati by Daksha Sheth's dance company and Gerry Colgan finds Some Kind Of Love Story to be a soggy-centred and below-par offering by distinguished playwright Arthur Miller.
Sarpagati, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire
You expect to be transported to another place when you go to the theatre, but at the end of a hectic day the opportunity to wallow in the rich and timeless world of Sarpagati, by Daksha Sheth's Kerala-based dance company, is a rare treat.
After the formalities of the safety announcement the theatre slowly goes dark and, just as your eyes are adjusting, a light begins to illuminate a terracotta moulded tree faced with entwining branches. Another dappled circle of light appears, revealing two dancers crouched on the ground, limbs entwined. They unpeel and slowly rise into a dance that gathers momentum until it becomes as vital as blood pumping through veins.
Although steeped in myth and ritual the choreography is never retrospective. Daksha Sheth is something of a rebel who joyfully mixes influences into her Kathak training, and all four performers have trained in Indian classical dance as well as in yoga, gymnastics and martial arts.
With this palette of skills Sheth constructs a work that is constantly varied in form yet underpinned by a keen sense of drama. Sequences on suspended ropes, straightforward steps in seven-count phrases and a thrilling duet inspired by kalaripayattu, a tradition martial art, all find a place within the impressionistic imagery.
Sarpagati - The Way Of The Serpent - is inspired by India's culture of snake worship, drawing on the myth and symbolism of love, fertility and procreation. Within tantric symbolism, the snake represents the kundalini, the primal creative energy that can arouse the chakras that influence earth, water and fire. These represent the gathering of material wealth, procreation and survival by domination.
In spite of such a rich base the work is never prescriptive, and its timelessness allows any number of interpretations.
It is satisfying enough just to marvel at the performances of Isha Sharvani, (Sheth's daughter), Anil Kumar and Rajesh Raveendran. Their grace, suppleness, fluidity and exuberance drew spontaneous applause from the audience. And the loud cheers at the end of the show were rewarded by a rousing encore with chant and body percussion.
Ends tomorrow
Some Kind Of Love Story, International Bar, Dublin
If this opaque play were not by the distinguished Arthur Miller, it is doubtful that it would be considered worthy of revival. For about an hour its two characters, a detective and a call girl, talk to each other and get nowhere. The central question is, do they want to bring their words, and their relationship, to fruition?
Tom is working on a five-year-old case for a client convicted of murder. He passionately believes him to be innocent and is convinced that Angela, who was present throughout the trial, taking notes, has the information to prove it. She is a psychological mess and apparently suffers from a multiple personality disorder. Every time Tom seems to be approaching a breakthrough in his relationship with her she shifts her ground.
Nothing is clear. Is Angela being threatened by mysterious forces associated with the case? Drugs were involved, and it seems police corruption may have been an element in it. Her fear at least seems real, and she may be right in thinking that her home is being watched. She wants to have a sexual relationship with Tom, but he holds off lest it prejudice such evidence as he may be able to get from her. As it ends, their torturous relationship spins again into a familiar cycle of paranoia and frustration.
It all seems to be rooted in the existentialist proposition that hell is other people and that it is eternal. The acting, by Frank Melia and Fiona Brennan, is excellent, and Brian McCarthy's direction lets them get on with it. But the play is soggy-centred and ultimately inconclusive, a below-par offering from the American author.
Runs until September 6th
