"The Encounter" by Complicte, Malthouse Theatre, Wednesday February 8th 2017
"The Encounter" by Complicte was presented at the Malthouse Theatre on Wednesday February 8th 2017 as part of their annual season.
For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights. Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases. I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.
"The Encounter" is fresh from Broadway and Sydney Festival seasons, and is a masterwork directed by Simon McBurney for Complicte. I have seen Complicte with "The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol" in 1995 and was in awe of their story-telling skills.
I have read nearly every book by Gary Jennings including "Aztec" which gave me an insight into what may occur in "The Encounter".
Entering the theatre, a set of headphones was sitting on the backrest of each seat. An announcement urged audience members to test their headphones prior to the show starting.
Richard Katz was upstage and talking to a lady. He was preparing for his performance. He waited patiently. Was this the beginning? MMMM, it was one of the major themes for the show.
He stepped forward at about 7.35 PM and announced that we were waiting on some late comers. A man in the front row stood up and left the theatre. He never returned to this seat and it made me wonder that this in fact was THE BEGINNING of the show.
Richard Katz acted as our narrator and introduced us to the concept of the headphones and tested them again to explain what we should hear in each ear. He also explained the difference in how distance from the microphone can effect sound quality etc. He took us on a fun educational tour of the central microphone that provided enormous variations of qualities of sound.
We closed our eyes to be transported to imaginary and real places with real sounds and sound effects.
He took us on a journey to challenge our perceptions of time and reality and place. I loved this introduction and how my heart soared with the possibilities.
I know "The Encounter"is based on the Petru Popescu book "Amazon Beaming", which I have not read. Richard Katz took us on the most fantastical journey that reminded me so much of Gary Jennings' "Aztec" stories.
My partner thought the show was about ten to fifteen minutes too long. I understand that thought, but I was flying through my "drug of choice" - this amazing show!
I was saddened that a woman to our left rudely checked her phone at least three times during the show. The light from her phone illuminated and hit my peripheral vision. I am saddened that she could not be transported and taken on a ride. She missed out on Richard Katz's request at the start of the show to turn off her phone, but more importantly allowed herself to be held prisoner to her phone. She really missed the point of the show.
"The Encounter" is one of the best shows I have seen in years and gets a 9/10
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