The Crossing

The Crossing
Conceived and performed by Kayah Guenther and Gavin Webber. Additional creatives Ben Ely and Chloe Ogilvie of The Farm. HOTA Gold Coast. 22nd-23rd June, 2019. Then Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

If you haven’t experienced the magic and originality of The Farm, or the extraordinary charisma of Gavin Webber, then you haven’t fully experienced theatre.

The Farm creates experiences rather than shows, and trying to pin down what they do with a label is a futile exercise. Suffice to say it is physical theatre with nonphysical – even esoteric and philosophical – subtext. It’s dance, comedy, acrobatics – LIFE, and above all connection. It’s not for everyone, but it should be – like a great French movie where you don’t bother with the subtitles, because you feel the story.

Gavin is already something of an icon to all performance lovers, and he and The Farm are multiple award winners. But his partner in the Crossing is a new entity for most of us. Kayah Guenther is a twenty-year old man with Down Syndrome, so some would say how remarkable it is that he dances at all, let alone breathtakingly. And dance he does. But more than just expressing himself, he connects with the audience and communicates all that it is to be human, even if your physicality tries to restrain you. It is quite extraordinary to watch. The show starts with the short ABC film called The Battle, exploring Kayah’s desire to dance as a communicator, because he has trouble with his voice and speaking. But it’s when the action becomes live that we are almost knocked from our seats by the sheer force of the energy and we forget any and all restrictions Kayah faces

The Crossing isn’t a pity party - it’s an edgy, confronting, moving exploration of what it is to be human; and it is the brainchild of Kayah, along with help from his mentor, and friend, Gavin. Kayah shows us that he is the same as Gavin, despite the physical differences; that humans can “borrow” from each other to express themselves, can nurture humanity, and learn even through death. It enforces that we are a melange that cannot be identified by a label. And it even speaks to co-operation - if my arms don’t hold enough, I borrow yours. if my eyes don’t see, then I need to look through yours. There are more philosophical messages in five minutes of this 1 hour show than you might find in a whole night of mainstream theatre.

If all this sounds heavy going, think again. The show is also wonderfully wacky and witty, leaving us laughing uproariously at the same time as gently leading us spiritually. It’s a masterwork that never allows you to lose contact or look at your watch.

It occurs to me that The Crossing, like all of The Farm’s work, may divide an audience, but will never bore them. And the impact can be summed up in three letters. For those that cannot connect, the letters are WTF? But for those who Do, those letters are WOW.

Coral Drouyn

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