Immersive
theatre performances seem to be growing in Melbourne, and I
could not be more thrilled about this. The latest offering devised by Jessica
Wilson, Ian Pidd and Nicola Gunn is Passenger, a show that
takes place on a moving bus that drives us through the streets of Southbank and
the Docklands where we observe two strangers strike up a
conversation.
It all begins innocently enough, but as the trip progresses the conversation
steers towards something darker and sinister that culminates in a highly
intense and somewhat surreal ending. Gunn's text drip-feeds information to us and the way that earlier shared stories or anecdotes are used to
bring it all full circle are clever, surprising and make full use of the
local infrastructure to build on the environment and tone of the story.
Whenever I see a performance by Chunky Move, I find myself either absolutely loving it (Complexity of Belonging) or wondering what the hell it is I am watching (It Cannot Be Stopped). Fortunately, their newest show as part of Dance Massive falls firmly in to the former.
Set in the forecourt of the Malthouse Theatre, Artistic Director and choreographer Anouk van Dijk, brings the city landscape, an urban environment and three extremely talented dancers together in a stunning performance that makes the audience think about the fleeting nature of live and life's moments.
