Brighton's best...
 |
Oh My Goddess - Michael Clark...
review "The problem with the Brighton Michael Clark’s new show ‘Oh My Goddess’ was received by many critics with relief. “The enfant terrible of dance has grown up!" they trilled, grateful that he’d put away the dildos, chainsaws, human hamburgers and giant masturbating hands in favour of something more traditionally balletic.
audience is that we quite liked the dildos and chainsaws thankyouverymuch." The problem with the Brighton audience is that we quite liked the dildos and chainsaws thankyouverymuch, and perhaps understood the controversial stuff as more than simply a childish desire to provoke. No doubt there is an element of Clark having relished the controversy of the past, all tied up in his ultimately constricting and unmanageable public persona; however, questioning convention is a solid creative process employed by artists over centuries and can’t be written off as merely youthful rebellion. Technical difficulties caused a late start to the show, which was surprisingly not sold out. Those same gremlins caused the loss of the intermission film (rare footage of a live performance by pioneer krautrockers Can) and a sudden sound/lighting dip during the second half. Crucially, we were also denied the spectacle of six grand pianos on stage which I gather should have accompanied the dancers in ‘Satie Studs’, leaving one solitary pianist from Piano Circus to hold the (rather sparse) fort alongside some traditional ballet. Nonetheless there were some captivating, memorable moments, not least Clark’s lascivious, thrusting solo in which he was gyrating and grinding lewdly with an imaginary sexual partner. Another standout moment saw the company in identical Phil Oakey wigs whirling dizzily to the Human League’s ‘The Things That Dreams Are Made Of’, and later male and female dancers donning matching dresses accompanied by PJ Harvey’s ‘Dress’. "...Like being at a PJ Harvey
gig only, er, she’s not there." Music seemed to take centre stage in ‘Oh My Goddess’, particularly during the second half which featured seven PJ Harvey numbers (admittedly, a huge plus for me), played loudly to the point of distortion. Like being at a PJ Harvey gig only, er, she’s not there. There were several punk references, which was of the course the era that Clark sprung from onto an unsuspecting dance world. The problem with continuing to reference it now though is there’s a danger of becoming frozen in time, like old ladies who still bear the haircut they got as teenagers in the 50s. Ultimately then, ‘Oh My Goddess’ was striking but inconsistent. Although this is not his first show since that period, perhaps this reflects that Clark is still in a state of limbo following that much-publicised four year self-imposed exile to find himself - should he start anew, or regurgitate the motifs he is known and loved for? ‘Oh My Goddess’ sat uneasily between these two opposing courses. about Brighton Dome
|
...leave a yum! on a photo of someone you've taken a shine to to let them know you care! How to Yum!
|
The Aquarium Theatre Bar
