words: BECKY HONEYCOMBE
Its not often that a visit to the plush, welcoming interiors of the Welsh Millennium Centre leaves you feeling like you’ve been mercilessly dragged through a world of murderous gypsy clowns and mysterious magicians, but somehow And The Birds Fell From The Sky takes you there.
Entering the dingy ‘waiting room’, you are asked to read some ominous ‘newsletters’ about strange clowns who have inexplicably taken over the outskirts of town. With the sinister mood suitably set you leave your belongings behind as you enter a room reminiscent of an ‘80s science fiction nightmare, in which personal video goggles and earphones leave you completely cut off from the real world.
Suddenly you’re wheeled furiously into a ‘car’ and led through a strange series of images – from a drunken rampage to clowns floating in florescent rubber rings. All the feelings sights and smells in the goggles are matched by your own senses, making it even more disorientating and leaving you constantly on edge as you reach the finale.
And The Birds Fell From The Sky is certainly an experience which leaves you genuinely unsettled and in some cases physically shaking. Despite the fact that there was no real discernable plotline, and the absence of any live acting raises the question of whether it is really a piece of theatre, or just a gimicky trip into the unknown, this production deserves some real consideration.
