Continuing my recent forays into experimemtal theatre I went to the Royal Opera House tonight to see
Matilda Leyser and her show,
Line, Point, Plane.
Leyser is an aerial performance artist and although some of it left me confused about what I was meant to be experiencing, all of it was weird and beautiful and incredibly impressive technically. I wasn't as tired as I had been at
Twin Houses last week, so I was able to stay sharper and more focused and I'd never performed in this venue before so wasn't distracted by my own memories. And anyway, I think this show was a lot better than the one last week.
In the first section Leyser crossed the black cloth at the back of the stage without once touching the ground, which is something I don't think I've ever seen. Because of the weirdness of the perspective of having someone performing to you in that plane, it sometimes felt like we were suspended above her, looking at her on (and sinking into) the floor. There was also a part of me thinking how cool it was that a human being is able to make a living this way. I mean you have to get really good at climbing and moving around and stuff, but people will come and pay to see that if you're good enough and you can live off that. The human race is an incredible thing.
The third section was my favourite and involved Leyser swinging back and forth on a swing made out of a piece of rope. It was not only breath-takingly acrobatic and dangerous looking, but Leyser also dsconstructed what she was doing, describing it as she went. The audience held its collective breath and created a rapt tension and attention that was pretty special.
I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if she just let go on the high point of the swing towards the audience, and then moments later she began discussing that very thing. That's why I could not do this job even if I was technically capable of it (which I hasten to add that I would never be - I couldn't even climb a rope at school and hate heights) because I just wouldn't be able to resist seeing what would happen. Maybe I'd smash down into the audience, maiming and killing a few of them (and myself) which would be cool, maybe I'd just swing up into the balcony, land on my feet and walk away or maybe I'd just fly off like a bird and swoop and dive over the audience's heads to their amazed delight.
So yes, maybe I didn't understand it all, but if a trip to the theatre can make you think things like this, then it's been a success.
