What a wonderful night at the theatre this show turned out
to be. The exquisite Andre & Dorine, presented by the Spanish theatre
company Kulunka, was a masked piece about an elderly married couple, at the
stage in their lives where familiarity has led to niggling annoyances with one
another and competition for their son’s attention. But the routine of their existence
is shattered by the cruel blow of Alzheimer’s, and the narrative moves between
the disease’s increasing grip on Dorine, and flashbacks of their loving relationship
from first date to married life and the creation of a family.
It’s the first time I had seen mask theatre, and I suspect I
have been lucky enough to see it at its best already. The performances were incredibly
skilful, conveying every nuance and emotion perfectly. The tiniest detail was
brilliantly observed, and portrayed through subtle and finely judged
performances from the cast of three – Jose Dault, Garbine Insausti and Edu
Carcamo.
The use of masks allowed seamless changes between scenes, in
particular a nice use of flashbacks where the older Andre remembers his younger
days and the blossoming relationship with the feisty Dorine. The detail of the
performances was so fine that, although each performer took on multiple
characters, each was perfectly realised and completely individual. There was
even a section that included some fantastic puppet work as the son’s early
years were shown.
The story itself was well constructed and very moving.
Whilst the progression of the illness was absolutely heart-breaking, and told
with brutal realism, humour was ever present, particularly in the flashback
scenes, which in a way heightened the emotion of the piece overall. Hauntingly beautiful music added an additional dimension to the piece, and the masks and set were fabulous.
Either there were a lot of people with colds in the audience
at the Lowry Studio that night, as there was a lot of sniffling and wiping of
eyes going on, or most people were as moved as I was by this beautiful, moving
and uplifting creation. Rather than handing out leaflets as we left, maybe the
ushers should have been handing out tissues as there was more than one person shuffling
out in tears! I was quite glad it was raining as I left the theatre as it
disguised my tear stained face.
I really did think this performance was one of the most
wonderful pieces of theatre I have seen in a long time, and it got a fabulous,
and completely deserved, reaction from the Studio audience. I would love to see
it again, it was so beautifully realised both in construction and performance.
Simply gorgeous.
A heartfelt review - very moving
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