I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d witnessed after walking out of
Incredibly well acted and it was fantastic to see a cast of disabled actors put on such a brave and interesting piece of work.
BLINDFOLD begins with a black and white film featuring a circus, with two actors dancing awkwardly on either side of the stage. A voiceover tells us we are in a dreamland. As the video and music fade out, our characters start talking and we learn that they are being held captive in a cage, but it is unclear by whom.
The characters, Duke and Donna, play out various scenes often slipping between reality and something else, which I found hard to grasp at times. I wanted to know why these two people were caged, and who had put them there.
Half way through, after a storm, we are transported to a new location, possibly the circus from the beginning, where we meet a flamboyant, birdlike woman (Star) and a ringleader (Manstro). We are told the hunt is beginning, but we never meet the hunters.
It leaves the question - if they are the hunted then who are the hunters? Perhaps us as the audience?
Star, Duke and Donna perform ‘tricks’, nursery rhymes and dances for the ‘hunters’, accompanied by some hypnotic chanting from Manstro. It is clear these people have been worn down for a long time by someone or something and are comfortable in their state of powerlessness.
At times it can be a little hard to understand what is being said as the actors aren’t using their first language, however the piece was incredibly well acted and it was fantastic to see a cast of disabled actors put on such a brave and interesting piece of work.
I would have liked to have seen some clarifying information either before or after the show to help add some context to what I’d watched, but I guess some things are best left to your own interpretation.
