Review: An Amalgam of Artforms, GOLEM Is A Contemporary Cautionary Fairytale for Audiences Of All Ages
Bright, energetic and extremely precise, Suzanne Andrade's ( Writer and Director) GOLEM is a modern fable warning of the dangers of blindly following trends and allowing technology to dictate human existence. The joint production between London based performance company 1927, Salzburg Festival, Theatre De La Ville Paris and Young Vic forms part of Sydney Theatre Company's 2016 program.
The combination of animation, Claymation, music and physical performance brings to 'life' a modern interpretation of the Jewish tale of the clay creature created to serve man. The story centres on Robert (Shamira Turner), a geeky misfit in a dead end job who likes robots and inventions and still lives with his grandmother and sister. Parallels can easily be drawn to modern society's relationship with technology from acknowledgment of the "early adopters" that want to try out every new invention; the sceptics that need to see the benefit before they'll believe; the followers that engage to ensure they are still seen as "on trend" and the cautious that question the blind belief.
Through well coordinated choreography and projection, the story jumps out of the screen that spans the stage. Physical performance conveys the characters' personalities with the bulk of the story narrated by an unseen voiceover interspersed with dialogue from the characters. The other four performers (Esme Appleton, Will Close, Lillian Henley, and Rose Robinson) utilise changes in costume, voice and physical movement to differentiate the multitude of other characters Robert and his animated Claymation Golem encounter. The characters are presented with a vocal styling in keeping with the pre-electronic personal technology time period of the images, ensuring that this is seen as other worldly in the same way that children's fairy-tale are often told with exaggerated voices.
Sarah Munro's costuming is detailed adds to the narrative from the red of the rebellious basement band to the bland beige of the binary workers. Composer Lillian Henry (keys) has created a soundtrack punctuated with live keyboard and percussion (Will Close) that keeps the pace of the work moving and includes some fabulous songs. Paul Barritt's animation, film and design has created a textured and detailed world with wonderful little jokes if you look closely and is paired with Joe Marchant and West Yorkshire Playhouse's seemingly simple set to provide a range of focal points.
Visually fun, the simple story is relatable in a world dependent technology, with many blindly accepting it and wanting the newest device available and following the latest trend dictated to them by big corporations. The moral can be interpreted in different ways from a flat out return to a pre technological age to a cautionary warning that we should be more aware of the control seemingly inanimate objects are having on our lives. GOLEM is an enjoyable 90 minutes for those looking for a quirky but simple piece of entertainment and those needing a reminder to reassess the control we have over our own lives.
GOLEM
Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay
16 March - 26 March 2016
https://www.sydneytheatrecompany.com.au
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