The Arrival - An Elegant Lesson in Storytelling

By: Jul. 10, 2018
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Presented by Red Leap Theatre and Out of The Box Festival, The Arrival is an outstanding work of theatre, merging forms of physical theatre with puppetry, acrobatics and dance. Based on Shaun Tan's award-winning graphic novel; the narrative is an absurd portrayal of an immigration tale of a man who ventures solo to a foreign country in search for a better life for himself and, most importantly, his family. However, as with each immigrant story, in this strange new land he faces a multitude of obstacles and wonders, embarks on a number of adventures and meets a number of characters each with their own story to tell. The dialogue in The Arrival is mostly non-existent, and what is included is incomprehensible.

The Arrival - An Elegant Lesson in Storytelling

It is a sensory explosion; a sensory haven so to speak. Each line, each movement, each set piece, each lighting cue is treated with such precision and with such grace.

John Verryt's transformative set has to be one of the most elegant design's I have ever seen, with a colour palette which compliments each scene beautifully. It's both unconventional, hypnagogic and clever, making you never want to look away. Jeremy Fern's lighting design compliments Verryt's visual masterpiece with his warm and cool palettes to represent the changes from morning to night and day to day. Both Fern and Verryt's design is complemented by Andrew McMillian's composition, which encompasses despair and horror transformed into an aural form, as well as more upbeat percussion lines and tender instrumentals. All three come together when the actors are facilitating the various mediums of puppetry; creating a powerful image for the audience of the horrors of leaving your family behind and losing the people dear to your heart. And the casting was incredible; each member of the ensemble moved with such fluidity, expression and heart, taking me with them on their own journey.

For me, The Arrival once again highlighted the transformative nature of theatre and how theatre can and should be harnessed as a medium in which artists, playwrights, designers, choreographers and directors can share their stories, as well as others stories, to the people of today. It also highlighted the accessibility of theatre; and how it shouldn't be restricted to just one art form; just like we, should be a more open society and more accepting and helping towards our immigrants.

The Arrival

5th-8th of July, Playhouse QPAC

Tickets: https://www.qpac.com.au/event/arrival_18/

The Arrival - An Elegant Lesson in Storytelling



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