It is hard to know where to start in writing a review for Clipa Theater's 'Orpheus'. Based on the story of the musician who descends to the underworld to bring back his dead wife, the production uses movement sequences, puppetry and music to navigate the plot. It does so with limited success, but a lot of style.
The two performers (one male, one female) move between set pieces based on aspects of the story. In all honesty, all of the scenes are far too long. The show really does drag. It's a shame, as this does an injustice to the creativity of the piece. Bizarre objects are manipulated in ways that stray towards, while only rarely becoming puppetry. The incorporation of music is frequently done rather badly, jarring with scenes, and I often felt frustrated that no one involved with the production had done anything to resolve this.
There are scenes which stand out in their creativity and intrigue. One example is the use of a prosthetic leg as a musical instrument - surprisingly wonderful. Another is the beautiful shadow puppetry in one scene, where the illumination is strapped to the performer's foot, and images move as she moves and shifts around.
It is a shame that these scenes are not quite enough to make the production worthwhile. The two performers are clearly talented, but tighter direction and stricter editing is needed, in order to create a piece that is worthy of an intelligent audience's time and money.
