{"id":4510,"date":"2015-02-06T09:17:03","date_gmt":"2015-02-06T08:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=4510"},"modified":"2016-02-05T19:20:44","modified_gmt":"2016-02-05T18:20:44","slug":"light-theatre-ad-infinitum-the-lowry-reviewed-by-fran-slater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=4510","title":{"rendered":"Light<\/em>, The Lowry, reviewed by Fran Slater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Light,<\/em>\u00a0Theatre Ad Infinitum, The Lowry, Manchester, 3-4th February 2015<\/p>\n

A dance show without dancing, a play without words, or silent film brought to the stage? It\u2019s difficult to define exactly what Theatre Ad Infinitum and George Mann\u2019s Light <\/i>exactly is, but that is not necessarily to its detriment. It is definitely something hugely original. Told largely via physical theatre that borders on mime, the show\u2019s most defining feature is its use of light. In a totally dark room, the actors dart around the stage clutching a variety of light sources, illuminating the performer who is currently the focus of the narrative. This technique works to concentrate the audience on one element of the action, while also using the alternation between light and dark as a way to spring surprises, to suggest moods, and to enhance tension. Alongside the immersive sound, this unique way of telling a story does seem somewhat ground-breaking.<\/p>\n

But can the same be said about the story being told? Below the mesmerising surface of the flashing lights and intense music, we are thrust into a dystopian future in which the World Wide Web has led to something akin to mind control. With the invention of \u2018thought messages\u2019 came a new way of controlling society, with chips implanted into everyone\u2019s brains. Over time, leaders began to interfere with thoughts, dreams, and memories, until society was almost completely under their influence.<\/p>\n

As usual with this kind of story, there are rebels who fight this control. There is a rebel leader. Unsurprisingly, this rebel leader turns out to have a previously unknown association with the play\u2019s protagonist, Agent Dearden. As an integral part of the controlling force, Dearden has previously battled terrorists and rebels who have tried to mantain \u2018free thought\u2019. Now, this new bond will force him to rethink his role. Agent Dearden\u2019s father is also the head of the team that monitors and dispels the threat of the rebels. So not only does the main character have to question the work he is doing, but he also has to face up to the lies of his own personal history.<\/p>\n

At some point, this all starts to sound a little familiar. And therein lies the issue with Light<\/i>. For all the unique and interesting production, for all the frantic pace and oppressive atmosphere, for all the planning and practice it takes to create such a visually stunning work, the story is one which we have been told a million times. In fact, it is almost the staple outline of dystopian fiction. Look back through the genre and you will see Light\u2019s<\/i> key plot turns occurring again and again.<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s a little harsh. At the end of the day, this piece of theatre does break the mould in some ways. So does it need to do so in every way? Does creating something that audiences might never have seen before, mean that you can get away with telling a tale that they have? That will probably depend on each audience member\u2019s own mindset.<\/p>\n

As there are no words, though, maybe the most we can expect is a pretty basic narrative. And in the opening ten minutes or so, this didn\u2019t seem like an issue. Once the initial wow factor created by the lights, music, and haze in the room rescinded, though, it felt like seventy minutes was a long time to sit and watch a story to which you may have already guessed the conclusion.<\/p>\n

Audience reaction at the end suggests that not everyone would agree with this review. It seems like the kind of show that will split opinions, and I doubt that those who created it will find that surprising. When you do things this differently, not everyone will react with praise. But even if you don\u2019t necessarily get pulled in by the plot, there is still an awful lot to admire here.<\/p>\n

Fran Slater<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Light,\u00a0Theatre Ad Infinitum, The Lowry, Manchester, 3-4th February 2015 A dance show without dancing, a play without words, or silent film brought to the stage? It\u2019s difficult to define exactly what Theatre Ad Infinitum and George Mann\u2019s Light exactly is, but that is not necessarily to its detriment. It is definitely something hugely original. Told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[283,17],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nLight, The Lowry, reviewed by Fran Slater - The Manchester Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.themanchesterreview.co.uk\/?p=4510\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Light, The Lowry, reviewed by Fran Slater - The Manchester Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Light,\u00a0Theatre Ad Infinitum, The Lowry, Manchester, 3-4th February 2015 A dance show without dancing, a play without words, or silent film brought to the stage? 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