32 Rue Vandenbranden, Peeping Tom, Melbourne Festival, The Sumner Theatre, Saturday October 10th 2015

32 Rue Vandenbranden, Peeping Tom, Melbourne Festival, The Sumner Theatre, Saturday October 10th 2015

"32 Rue Vandenbranden" by Peeping Tom was a major highlight so far for the 2015 Melbourne Festival at The Sumner Theatre.

I have seen this company perform at a previous Melbourne Festival and they certainly have a flair for physical theatre that pushes the boundaries.  The concept and co-direction of "32 Rue Vandenbranden" are by Gabriela Carrizo and Franck Chartier.  The six performers are credited with both the creation and performance.  Sets, costumes and lighting design supports this production.

We are introduced to a set with one large caravan opposite a duplex caravan in a snowy wilderness. The curtains of the caravans are opened as the windows are closed during a wind storm.  A baby shivers underneath the lone caravan. Above this caravan are two women, Maria Gyselbrecht's character is wearing an evening gown, stilettos and is pregnant; while Eurudike De Beul wears more sensible clothing for this unforgiving climate. Immediately these images provides us with the blur of reality and fantasy. This opening highlights the audience as the voyeurs on the internal and external worlds of these occupants.

We are introduced to the two new occupants who will share the other half of the duplex caravan. One man stands upon the lower back of his fellow traveller who happens to also carry large backpacks and three suitcases.  Their entrance is magical and memorable in theatrical terms.  They have a wonderful duo entering with their baggage.  It immediately allows the audience to laugh and enter into this crazy world.

The baby under the caravan was so tragic that it was funny. Sadly some audience members could not see this very funny moment of the adult head in a baby's bonnet attached to the body of a doll.  I began to wonder about the connection to the pregnant woman above.  Was this to be the baby she did not want?  Was she really pregnant?  Was it her wishful thinking to have the baby of one of her neighbours?  Was this baby her miscarriage?  Was this her abandoned baby?  All of these questions stirred me at the end of the show.

This production required the audience to consider the main focus of what was happening and to not ignore the other characters.  The subsidiary characters in each scene may have appeared not to be doing much,  when in fact they were slowly transitioning into the next scene.  Very clever in how these transitions occurred and you had to keep looking or you could miss their transitions.  One of the main devices was the use of looking at their neighbours, looking at each other or looking internally. Focus was central to the success of this work.

Another very funny transition was Maria Gyselbrecht's character who began by sipping on her bottle of water. She then began to spray water from her mouth on the internal windows and began washing the windows in creative ways using various parts of her body. Her cleaning counter-pointed the main serious action outside.

The duet by Carolina (Maria Carolina Vieria) and her partner Jos Baker was sublime.  She is so physically agile using her gymnastics training.  He used his strength and control in winding and unwinding both their bodies while Carolina maintained one position.  This was clever and exploratory and not boring as choreography of this type can become.

Jos Baker's solo of writhing his upper body and then alternating to his gyrating pelvis was brilliant.  His timing and pulsations were both emotionally exhilarating and draining to watch.  It was as if he were possessed.  There was the magic of theatre in that later his chest was wet, though not during this writhing sequence.  Later Jos Baker shows us his nimble sleight of hand and dexterity with his magical cigarette sequence.

Seoljin Kim's solo with his backpacks rolling around the snow covered ground trying to regain his balance was fun and good old vaudevillian slapstick.  Seoljin Kim would visit Maria Gyselbrecht in her caravan on a few occasions.  His longing and desire would result in a soul searching and deeply grieving solo where he removes his bleeding heart. Eventually his character dies of a broken heart.

Maria Gyselbrecht has a rendezvous with Jos Baker and the magic of the hidden door is used.  Again this sequence blurs reality versus fantasy.  Was her visit a memory, wish or a desire?  The hope and despair of each character is highlighted by their interaction with others and in their individual solos. Maria's aloneness is shown in her introspective moments in her caravan.

The masturbation solo by Hun-Mok Jung was ridiculous in the cold environment.  What made it funnier was the three tourists or by-passers.  They stopped and stared at his antics and showed us how we as the audience were reacting.  They mirrored our reality of the absurd situation.

Hun-Mok Jung also performed a karaoke sequence which was reminiscent of the Decore shower advertisement.  We see his character throughout via his smaller window.  He begins by singing into a real microphone and then progresses to use the shower head to sing.  Still singing into his shower head he goes outside to put out the garbage.  He encounters the other characters who are also putting out their garbage/ trash or rubbish.  It is a universal moment of being caught in public doing a very private behaviour.  Exposed, embarrassment and empathy: we have all been in a situation that has exposed our vulnerability and we are able to empathise with their situation.   Again this was the mirror of our lives on stage - with the blur of reality and fantasy.

The duet between Maria Carolina Vieria and Jos Baker was brilliant.  Their bending forward and backward was a forehead version of a Kiwi greeting that listed like the Titanic without sinking.  The performers did not show the effort required for such demanding choreography.  Their skills, strength and control created lightness and thus enhanced the humour.

Some sequences were repeated during "32 Rue Vandenbranden".  Those repeated by Maria Gyselbrecht reminded me of Natasha Herbert's tripping moment from Jenny Kemp's "Black Sequin Dress" performed at the Playbox Malthouse Theatre.  Here we are reminded of the blur between memory and reality, and private versus public memories.

The theme of baggage is shown in various ways by each character, emotionally or physically. We have the relationship baggage with the family abuse section.  This was incredibly well choreographed in that the shock waves had repercussions throughout the community.  Each of the characters felt the ripple effects of the blows inflicted by Jos Baker upon his female partner, Maria Carolina Vieria. This violence sequence had all the characters pulsating the abusive rhythms and exacerbated the ferocious brutality.  As these other characters observed the beating, they were helpless to render assistance as they too were caught up in the rhythms of the cycle of bureaucracy.  Do I get involved?  Is it really happening?

Great special effects were used throughout the show including an umbrella that turned inside out with the wind.  This umbrella appeared to rain upon itself.  We thought the water was stored in the handle of the umbrella.  A magical moment.

The wind and the garbage being blown across the stage at the start was simple and effective.  Later we see this garbage in the karaoke sequence.  The final wind sequence from within Maria's caravan was poignantly clever - as if it was her built up tension and explosion of emotion. This final wind was like her guilt of her miscarriage or the abandoned new born baby.

The confines of each caravan was challenging from a space perspective.  But the entrances and exits through the windows of the caravans was clever and varied.  The entrance of the bride through the curtains of Maria's caravan was hilarious.  The duet entrance into Carolina and Jos's caravan was athletic and gymnastic.  Their duet inside the caravan was dangerously exciting,  I am in awe of their trust and skill in such a confined space.

The singer Eurudike De Beul provides beautiful tunes to counter point some of the action.  Early on she washes herself in the caravan which is one of those transitions that many may have missed.  At one stage she stood on top of the couple's caravan holding two items as if she was the Statue of Liberty.  Both a ridiculous and fun image of her choice to do what she wants, when she wants.

There are so many other wonderful memories of the gun section and the impending fear within their environment.  The looking at beyond the audience searching for the fear.

The production finished as each caravan closed their curtains with stillness in contrast to the windy opening of curtains and closing of windows.  Each character is free to do what they want and will not be limited in this harsh environment.  Shut in but not shut out. Shut out but not shut in. Trapped within ourselves or free to express ourselves.  This production allows the characters the liberty to develop their own reality.

Programme notes:  It would have been beneficial to have the photos of the performers in the programme to enable the audience to put names to faces.

The finale was superbly choreographed with each performer maintaining their character.  Seoljin Kim's character had died, and Maria lifts his head up for audience acknowledgement during two curtain calls.  This was a graphic and compelling curtain call and sensational theatre as the performers maintained their characters.  The audience kept applauding, showing their appreciation for this superb show, as finally all performers stood out of character for the final curtain calls.

The cast "iced the cake" as they brought out a photo of the performer Maria Otal who died ten days before the premiere of "32 Rue Vandenbranden".  It was a fitting and generous tribute to their colleague to share with us, the audience.  Thank you!

As Hun-Mok Jung exited on the final curtain call he mimed the universal hand gesture of "call me" which related to his poster on the outside of his caravan.  A memorable exit and close to a great show.

"32 Rue Vandenbranden" is an example of what makes the Melbourne Festival my October destination each year.  Over thirty years there have been more misses than hits and this production has certainly provided a 2015 highlight.  It is gems like this show that make persistence worthwhile.

I gave this production 8/10 and my partner gave it an 8.5/10.