You enter the NoFit State big top in Sofia Gardens and are transported to another world. Performers walk around in some mystical halfway house between the Riviera, a classic children’s novel, and a 21st-century dressing room, occasionally speaking with you as they wander between the audience and the stage. The Cardiff pre-show for NoFit State’s latest show Sabotage is utterly magical, and the performance itself lives up to this magic: the talent and skill displayed throughout are nothing short of awe-inspiring. However, something about the higher concept of the show doesn’t sit quite right.
Before we continue, it’s fair to note that, due to cast injury, some of the show was re-choreographed in advance of the first Sabotage preview in Cardiff. Director Firenza Guidi’s original vision for the show is not all of what I saw, and this review may not be reflective of what audiences experienced in Bangor, Merthyr Tydfil, or Pembroke.
NoFit State’s first show since the pandemic, and a self-dubbed ‘socially relevant’ production, Sabotage attempts to use the language of circus to explore many of the cultural questions that have arisen over the last three years. Aethereal and impressive acts are introduced with small sequences exploring themes including war, immigration, and acceptance. Some of these acts work incredibly well: Aurora Morano’s tortured silks performance where she’s pulled from end-to-end of the stage, fighting for her right to move freely, is evocative and emotive in equal measure. The accompaniment of live music gives the show an electric, immediate quality that heightens and often cleverly contrasts the elegant beauty of the performances onstage.
I think that may be one of the biggest issues with Sabotage for me: it’s often too pretty. Any form of movement can tell a story – we know that from contemporary dance – but it felt as though either the visual language of the circus or the audience itself wasn’t quite trusted enough. Large, sweeping brushstroke ideas were often picked up for the beginning of acts but not carried through into the movement itself – which, while remarkable and impressive, often didn’t say much at all. This made the show feel conceptually slightly unclear.
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There were moments, such as an interlude in which a projected army van breaks apart, where the politics were so overt as to be obvious; and moments with no storytelling at all. While a circus show doesn’t need a large overarching narrative, a balance between the ‘bitty’ act structure of traditional circus and the fluid narrative elements of contemporary dance may have helped with this.
With that being said, the talent and expertise of the performers are unquestionable. Diana Salles is outstanding throughout, her silks solo athletic, graceful, and moving; Trystan Chambers is another standout performer, thanks both to his joyous trumpet playing and a sensitive and breathtaking trapeze solo.
The strongest parts of the show by far, however, are the group sections. The whole cast is excellent, the group feeding off one another’s energy; their dynamism is amazing and the trust that they share as a company is palpable. There are far more of these sections in the second half, and the show feels more cohesive as a result. Emily Redsell’s costume designs are timeless yet modern, offering kitsch and whimsy while keeping a gritty earthiness.
I think you should see Sabotage. I think you should buy a ticket right now – especially as it’s in Cardiff for the final time It’s raucous and surprising and fun and exuberant, and the end of Act 1 is one of the most incredible moments of theatre I’ve ever seen. I just wanted it all to have a little more bite, and I think NoFit State can deliver that.
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Thurs 18 Aug
NoFit State’s Sabotage runs until Sun 11 Sept. Tickets: £15-£24/£60-£65 family of four. Info: here
words HARI BERROW
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