“Let me die still loving, and so, never die.”
Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses is a beautifully threaded tapestry of Greek tales that stand as parables of love, loss, humanity and the divine. Staged in the Old Fitzroy Theatre, Apocalypse Theatre Company’s telling of these stories is a truly intimate and unmatched experience.
Upon descending the steps into the theatre, there is a sense of being swallowed up by the eyes and perfect bodies of the cast that survey from their places within a looming scaffolding structure. It is apparent right from the start that the collaboration between Jonathan Hindmarsh’s design and Benjamin Brockman’s lighting design is an exquisite one. The pair work at a level of aesthetic sophistication that the text demands, but go obviously further still, with decadent costumes and such thoughtfully crafted lighting states that in equal measure warn, shock, disturb and comfort us. Ben Pierpoint’s sound design deepens the ethereal, dreamlike state of the world whilst holding our focus in moments of transition.
It is not often that one sees theatre that has been so wondrously imagined and successfully executed, but Apocalypse Theatre’s Metamorphoses is something to be marvelled at in this achievement. This is a very strong cast with physical and vocal discipline, and an acute sense of unity often sought after in contemporary reimaginings of Greek theatre. Director Dino Dimitriadis has taken a text with narratives we are familiar with and Greek gods we recognise to excavate an even deeper conversation around gender, sexuality, masculinity and femininity. Through presenting us with a cast of incredibly beautiful and diverse beings, we are immediately reminded that beauty has many forms; both strong and soft. We are introduced to Gods and heroes that challenge our assumptions around gender as Midas enters; a commanding and forthright woman in a power-blazer and leather crown. There is no altering of dialogue; Midas is still “He” and when we meet his daughter played by the physically sublime and masculine David Helman wearing white lace, the audience realises quite suddenly that this is a work that rips preconceptions of gender and heroism out from underneath us without any apology. Similar themes recur as characters we envision as soft and feminine enter the space with broad muscular shoulders and a penis. Questions around why a woman should be cast as the patriarch or why a deeply passionate moment between lovers could be expressed by two men soon become “why not?”, and then become mute altogether.
The exposition of these themes is sensitively considered and Dimitriadis has truly succeeded in provoking an audience to think deeply; intellectually and emotionally, about the work and beyond.
M. Osbourne – Theatre Now & On The Town
Photo: Robert Catto
Metamorphoses
Written & Originally Directed by Mary Zimmerman
Directed by Alexander Berlage
8 Feb – 10 Mar 2018
Tue – Sat: 8:00 PM
Sun: 5:00 PM
Matinees: Sat 3 & 10 March 2pm
Venue: Old Fitz Theatre
Theatre Company: Apocalypse Theatre Company in association with Red Line Productions
Duration: N/A
Re-imagined for the 40th Anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
“Bodies, I have in mind…”
Set in and around a body of water, Metamorphoses collides the ancient and the modern to celebrate the primal body and the staying power of love and desire
in the face of constant and inevitable change.
Savage and tender, queer and irreverent, with vivid imagery and visionary theatricality, Ovid’s poem of ancient Greek tales is roused to soul-stirring life.
Suitable for audiences 18+
“RECAPTURES THE PRIMAL ALLURE OF THE THEATRE… IT SHOWS THAT THEATRE CAN PROVIDE NOT JUST ESCAPE BUT SOMETIMES A GLIMPSE OF THE DIVINE.” – TIME MAGAZINE
**NOMINATED FOR 3 TONY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST PLAY
CREATIVE TEAM:
Written & Originally Directed by: Mary Zimmerman
Directed by: Dino Dimitriadis
Produced by: Apocalypse Theatre Company in association with Red Line Productions
Ticket Prices
$38.00 – $45.00
