Precision movements and elegant allegory are the soul of this unusual and captivating piece of performance theatre.
On the surface the show is about Theatre Re’s method of production. If that feels a little bit too meta, then rest assured it is really an excuse for pairing things back and focusing on the beauty of the little things: the details that performer-director Guillaume Pigé says make mime.
And he’s right. With just a chair for a prop, and simple staging that pulls lighting designer’s Dr Katherine Graham control box into view, alongside live composer Alex Judd’s keyboard, violin, and effects pedal, this is a production that leaves the performers exposed. Only sound designer Benjamin Adams – a disembodied, sometimes hauntingly so, voice – is afforded any cover.
Together they start to explain how movements, a prop, a shaft of light, a loop of music come together to form a moment. They restart and reset, Pigé repeating but subtly altering his gestures and rhythm. Finding what works, discarding what doesn’t.
A glance at a watch is casual, anxious, rich with decades of meaning conveyed in just a few minutes. The chair becomes a child taking its first steps, becomes a toilet to stand on for a crafty cig, becomes a walking frame, a wheelchair, a swirl of memories.
While Pigé is the focus, the playfulness of the show includes a brutal reset where the harsh house lights show that – for all his phenomenal skill as a mime – so much of the emotion also comes from Graham’s light and Judd and Adam’s soundscapes.
Put aside the show blurb and go and experience this for what this is: a masterclass in stripped back storytelling, and the power of your own imagination.
- Moments continues at Norwich Theatre Playhouse until Wednesday, 12 February 2025 then touring.
- Read our interview with Theatre Re artistic director Guillaume Pigé
