INVISIBLE CITY | STAGE REVIEW
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Thurs 22 Jan
‘A tale of loneliness, longing and making connections’ – Fusing physical theatre, voice recordings and dark humour, Invisible City was all that and more.
Lowri Jenkins’ performance was that of a classic tragic hero. Full of vitality she naively jinx’s herself with the promise of a new life, ‘interesting beautiful friends’ and romance in the fantastic new city she’d soon call home – only to then encounter the disillusion of adulthood. Instead of adventure she faces exploitation in a barely minimum-wage job, difficulty meeting people and vapid, meaningless relationships (with a lemon?).
The story of a young person seeking independence and adventure without caution is timeless, however the writer-performer/director duo created a piece that held up a mirror to what life is like for young people right now; are we generation more interested in earning internet ‘likes’ then nurturing real life friendship? As a group are we attempting to seek independence in impossibly fierce cities that only end up leaving us feeling lost and lonely.
After many unsuccessful attempts at communicating with her local ‘interactive supermarket’ the audience was made to question if, by compromise our personal information for frivolous intangible luxuries like special memberships, we unknowingly isolate ourselves from real human interaction. This tickled some older audience members who tutted and laughed as Lowri became increasing challenged by a checkout machine that developed a sadistic personality. Any fan of Charlie Brookers Black Mirror series would have loved these witty, current and cynical exchanges.
As the idea of the big city lifestyle begins to sour so does our tragic heroine’s attitude towards her mother; their phone conversations become tense as she chokes back tears, lying about her wellbeing. Whether she does this to avoid worrying her mum, or to avoid damaging her own ego, we have to decide for ourselves.
The staging was smart, clinical and simplistic. Using hanging sheets of cloth created maze-like depth – paired with the judging supermarket voice over from high above – Invisible City physically isolating the performer and made her appear vulnerable.
Traditional ‘dance’ enthusiasts may have had a bittersweet experience as the movement sequences seemed to function as a means of breaking up wordier sections, however I was more than pleasantly surprised. This talented duo created a modern twisted ‘coming-of-age’ piece that everyone should see.
words SINNEAD ALI
