The White Prince

The White Prince
Directed, Choreographed and Produced by Stephen Agisilaou. Vertical Shadows Dance Company. Arts House/ Meat Market. 16 - 24 May, 2014.

There are some exquisitely mesmerising images in this dreamlike production which will stay with the audience forever. Stephen Agisilaou is a man of taste, and constantly pushing the envelope, that is why he is a marvellous asset to the Melbourne Arts scene. In The White Prince he shuns the idea of linear narrative to permit the audience to create the story from the visuals unfolding, allowing their imaginations to interpret what is on the stage. Ultimately this is the production’s undoing. Not all audience members are equal in interpretive skills and, if you cannot understand what is unfolding, it is difficult to make the emotional connection needed to commit to the journey. Despite its beauty, the work often seemed ponderous – the first scene, for example, being repetitive and not providing the necessary steps for the narrative journey. It’s not mandatory for Stephen to lay the story out step by step before us, but at least provide a short synopsis in the programme that will help us to connect and make an emotional investment in the characters.

Despite this major shortcoming, some elements are stunningly successful. Craig Boyes lighting is excellent and Agisilaou brilliantly assembles and edits the eclectic soundtrack (thank you for introducing me to Sebastien Tellier). Chris Axiaq is responsible for the amazing video segment which marries CGI animation with shadow puppetry. It infused the production with high energy after the ponderous start and promised to lift the action to another level through the change of gear. Unfortunately this didn’t happen, and we returned to the langorous dreamlike state of the opening – albeit this time with the boys as grown men.

The cast of dancers is impressive, with the honours going to Riley Fitzgerald as the older of the two boys. He has exquisite lines and a compelling presence. The very young Joshua Hunt looked perfect as the White Prince, but there is a tell-tale stiffness in his movement which signals extreme youth and lack of experience. Damien Welch brings his awesome physical strength and performing status to the piece along with the delightful Marc Cassidy – both are former stars of The Australian Ballet. Teagan Lowe, a fine choreographer in her own right, provides a seductive lightness to the siren caught between the two. With three such amazing adult dancers one would expect some astonishing lifts and patterns but they did not eventuate. For contemporary dance this felt very under-choreographed; tasteful and well executed but by no means a stretch for any of the dancers. Some of the staging meant that the audience view of the upstage action was completely masked by a downstage tableau. The costumes are a complete puzzle and anachronism. The “Knights” appeared dressed like Nuns, the grown men wore shorts with fringe or lace frills; all in all  there was a lack of cohesiveness. The over-riding flaw for me though, in spite of the beauty, was a languidness, an overall lack of passion. Passion has been an integral element in other works by Agisilaou and I couldn’t help wonder if Stephen was wearing too many hats, to the point of exhaustion, with this production, or if it was simply overly ambitious. There is much to marvel at and enough originality and beauty to ensure this piece will grow with the years, and the company itself will continue to stretch itself, but it isn’t my favourite Vertical Shadows offering.

Coral Drouyn

Photos by Belinda Strodder

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