Reviews

The Raw Shakespeare Project are a fine ensemble of established and emerging actors who share a passion for bringing The Bard’s works to life, often in unusual or outdoor settings. Their latest offering, The Comedy of Errors opened on the 11th of January at the McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Visitor’s Centre, went on to Beach Road Wines, Marion RSL Club and will finish up at Fox Creek Wines.

This musical version of the animated DreamWorks motion picture follows the story line from New York Central Park zoo on an expected journey to King Julien’s Madgascar where he and his lemurs rule supreme. Alex, the lion, is the star performer at the zoo but needs a change. His friends – Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, a couple of lionesses and Mason the monkey -  escape with him on this adventure. The penguins travel too but they are a troubling influence.

After twenty-two years dancing and choreographing with Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company, Sharon Eyal and her collaborator and partner, Gai Behar, formed L-E-V Dance Company in 2013, (lev is the Hebrew word for ‘heart’). Their work, with musician Ori Lichtik, has been performed at over 200 venues around the world, including a Christian Dior fashion show at a race course outside Paris in 2018, where eight dancers interacted with the models as they showcased the collection.

The reworking and reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has resulted in many variations. The tragic story draws them into the sphere of the underworld of Hades and places them at the hands of the ruthless Calaïs who becomes besotted with the young couple. In this version Lawson explores the more neglected elements of the myth that suggest the presence of same-sex desire between the two male figures. This gives a different emphasis to how Eurydice is trapped in a love triangle that sees her suffer in unspeakable ways.