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Show: A Life on the Silk Road
Society: Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Venue: ZOO Southside
Credits: The National Theatre of China
Type: Sardines
Author: Chris Abbott
Performance Date: 12/08/2018
A Life on the Silk Road
Chris Abbott | 13 Aug 2018 10:39am
The National Theatre of China make a return visit to the Fringe with their production of A Life on the Silk Road, telling the story of national hero Zhang Qian, a Chinese diplomat who made links with the world outside China in the 2nd century BC. He travelled for many years but the emphasis here is on his journeys to what is now known as the Silk Road.
With a cast of 13 including one live musician, the show is directed by Zhao Miao and makes good use of the comparatively large stage at ZOO Southside. As with the production of Luocha Land that the company brought to Edinburgh last year, this is physical theatre of a high order. The story is told through evocative music (recorded and live), beautiful multimedia projections and the movements of the actors. The short synopsis in the programme helps an uninformed audience to follow some of the action, but it would be good to have had a more detailed guide and some information about the relevance of key props such as the tasselled staff which plays a key part.
Even when the narrative is not totally clear, this is a beautiful production to watch, with many exquisite costumes in muted earth tones for the most part, and thus contrasting well with the use of other colours in the projections and textile scenic elements and props. Handheld flags are used to create instant interiors that are totally readable to all audiences, and the journeys by horseback are portrayed through movement most effectively. Lanterns denote night-time and there were some very effective combinations of movement and projection, as when the traveller dived down a hole in the ground.
There are set-piece moments that stun, such as the journey across the snow-capped mountains, where hand-thrown snow creates an instant blizzard and white textiles carpet the stage. Volcanoes erupt, a giant eagle attacks and a small child appears, the latter two just some of the puppets used in the performance.
It is one of the great delights of the Edinburgh Fringe that it offers theatre that has not been seen in the UK before. This piece is very accessible and beautiful to watch, and recommended to all who enjoy physical movement-based narratives.
- : admin
- : 12/08/2018