PERFORMANCE & COMEDY

Bath Spa University (Fri 28 Oct)

DANCE Anyone who experienced Jean Abreu Dance's relentless, high-energy 'Inside' might well be surprised to find it described as dull. After all, the immensely capable all-male troupe fling themselves across the floor and in the air for all they are worth, with barely time for a breath before launching into another round of the same. Yet the sad fact is that lack of contrast, be it fast and furious or slow and subtle, can bring with it a monotony.

The other difficulty with the piece is that it fails to live up to its declared objective of showing prison life as a reflection of society. Isolation is almost totally absent and incarceration, while hinted at, is a passing rather than a central theme. And it all starts so promisingly, with a lone man being abused by shadowy figures, before moving into a cleverly contrived ensemble where individuals shift allegiances by the slightest directional change to align themselves with others, the groupings constantly changing.

Essentially though, 'Inside' is far too long, and whilst it would be good to think that the monotony is intended to mirror the tedium of prison life, in all probability it isn't. At half an hour 'Inside' might have packed a punch; at an hour and a quarter it is simply soporific. (Lesley Barnes)

Copyright Lesley Barnes 2011