Review by Northings
A Few Little Drops
4 Sep 2007 in Dance & Drama
University of Edinburgh Medical Quad, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, 22 August, 2007
A Few Little Drops.
WATER seems to have been an abiding theme of this year’s Edinburgh Festivals. ‘Fuerzabruta’, an audacious hit at this year’s Fringe, boasts both a full-size, glass-bottomed swimming pool, suspended above the crowd’s head complete with synchronised swimmers, and a tent that rains on the inside.
They need not have bothered. Unseasonable showers have put something of a dampener on Festival proceedings [some consolation to know it’s not just us – Ed.]. Indeed, the Lothians received a third of their average August rainfall in one day on 14 August, prompting much discussion of climate change, and providing an immediate context for Volcano Theatre’s ambitious installation/performance.
Volcano’s mission is to explore water from every angle – physical, political, environmental, historical. Their chosen weapon? Performance art and art installation. An intriguing if rickety structure stood in the heart of the University of Edinburgh Medical Quad as the performers invited us to join them within for their journey through the life of water.
The set is part house, part ramshackle water world, and the audience are invited to wander freely – from swimming pool to sink, washing line to washroom, following performers (or not) as and when they choose. The audience itself ebbs and flows amongst the paraphernalia of water, which litter the landscape – sandbags, netting, water bottles.
I can best describe the experience as being akin to taking part in the game show ‘Crystal Maze’, as one moves through the “Water Zone”, experiencing an eclectic range of short performances, ranging in style from poetry and seminar, to comedy and dance.
As one might expect, it is a somewhat uneven experience, much closer to a visit to a gallery than to the imposed formality of a single theatre piece – and everyone’s experience of the event will be different.
The performances themselves are often intriguing, insightful and amusing – seldom obvious, but sometimes perplexing.
After a fleeting hour or so, the performers and audience come together for the event’s finale – although this feels more like a petering out than a crescendo. Rather like the Crystal Dome game at the end of the ‘Crystal Maze’, this ending is a disappointment given the richness of ideas and highs of performance that have come before.
Not to worry though, ‘A Few Little Drops’ will have you marvelling at the miracle of water. One thing’s for sure, there isn’t another show like this around!
A Few Little Drops visits Bught Park between 20-22 October 2007 as part of the Dràma Na h-Alba Festival.
© James Cottenham, 2007
