In a festival filled with shows about wonderland and Lewis Carroll, Ontroerend Goed’s new production, the latest in a long line of probing pieces, stands tall as the true master of the topsy-turvy. The audience enters a theatre in which the stage is in darkness and the audience are under lights, and from then on a series of simple conventions and innocent games are twisted into something greater. What starts as a simple penetration of the audience turns into a study of humanity itself. To say what actually occurs is to take away from the entire piece; but at the same time it is a show that will vary completely depending on when you go see it. The performance is bespoke for each audience and as a result my response can only be a gauge of what I gained from my experience, and I urge you to see it for yourself to make up your own mind.There are still rough edges to the piece, which can never truly go smoothly due to its reliance on that ultimate variable: us. There was also a feel, early on, that many pieces of the show to begin with were designed to be typically Ontroerend Goed; to the point that references to their traditional methods are made by the cast. Whilst a nice segue into something different, these gimmicky bits slow the piece down. Yet the overall show lacks no punch; Maria Dafneros, Mathieu Sys, Tiemen Van Haver and Joeri Smet are a spectacular ensemble who carry the peculiar performance along with tremendous gusto.It is a show that left audience members shaking, vexxed and enlightened, and you deserve that opportunity too.
