TaikoDeck

TaikoDeck is a collaboration between brothers Max and Tom Royce-Hampton. The brothers’ vision for this production is to blend East and West, but they succeed not only in blending sounds from opposite ends of the globe, but also in fusing young and ancient, synthetic and acoustic. By introducing the contemporary sounds of rap, spoken word, loops and synthesized instruments, this performance provides an access point for the younger generation to experience the tradition of Taiko drums and percussion instruments including traditional Japanese bamboo flutes, bells, gongs and cymbals.

While Glen Street Theatre always provides a comfortable and cultural theatre-going experience, it seemed an odd choice of venue and audience for TaikOz. The proscenium arch created a distance between the performers and audience that felt jarring in a production that screamed for unity and blending. That being said, the performers utilized the theatre itself as well as could be done. Upon entering the space, audience members were treated to an ambient soundscape being live mixed by Melbourne producer DJ M-Royce. This blend of unstructured sounds was calming, but alerting, and placed the audience in the right headspace to experience the upcoming show. As the house lights dimmed, TaikOz performers entered from the four corners of the room, engulfing the audience and taking them on the musical journey, wearing headlamps and playing handheld percussion instruments. At this point, pre-recorded vocals came across the speakers, and the show had begun.

It is impossible to select individual performers for praise as TaikOz musicians and dancers Tom Royce-Hampton, Anton Lock, Kerryn Joyce and Graham Hilgendorf, along with DJ Max Royce-Hampton worked as a single, ensemble unit throughout the duration of the performance. Moments of complete synchronicity left audience members audibly gasping. The sheer physical and mental strength required for a performance like this by the TaikOz performers is enchanting to watch. While a great deal of focus is required for such work, real moments of theatrical magic were created when the performers would break this focus by smiling, making eye contact with each other or just closing their eyes and grooving to the music. 

The lighting supported the show’s vision seamlessly, even if at times it was a little obvious. By only showing what needed to be seen, the audience was directed back and forth across the stage with ease. The use of handheld lights by the performers was effective, illuminating only their hands and allowing the audience to be immersed in the sound. At times the Odaiko Grand Drum, weighing in at an impressive 250 kilograms, was used as a small, secondary cyclorama, the light coloured skin of the drum serving as a blank canvas from which to blast light and project shapes. Audio-visual elements were utilized, as has become custom in most contemporary projects. The extra element was appreciated, but potentially could have been more fully integrated.

This production certainly has room for a closer directorial eye over transitions, staging, and the journey of the show as a whole. But that is not the point of a show like this. The point is to blend artforms, break down barriers between people and move an audience not just aurally, but physically and soulfully. And that has been achieved fully by this production.

Jessica Lovelace

Photographer: Karen Steains