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Coppélia

 
Stephanie Green Review by Stephanie Green 5 Published: 15 Aug 2022 Festival Theatre Show Dates: 16 Aug 2022-16 Aug 2022

An electrifying production, Scottish Ballet’s Coppélia, reimagined with robots and a new story that only nods to the original, is not just for sci-fi fans but addresses the serious questions of our time: our relationship with technology, truth vs. reality (which might be a nod to the corrupting effects of social media) and, most importantly, the ethical implications of creating artificial humans. The essential question of the original Coppélia remains: what happens if someone falls in love with a nonhuman or half human creation, i.e. with a false reality?

An astounding mix of media

An astounding mix of media, this show is choreographed by Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple (Jess and Morgs) with all new moves (not the famous Petipa’s). It combines film that has been previously recorded and is live projected on a screen above, spoken text written by Jeff James, and music composed by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P Atkinson. Although there are jumping off points from the original Delibes’ score, it's completely innovative with a mix of live orchestra and electronic soundscapes.

Film and live dance interact and it is fascinating to see how what appears on stage looks different on screen. The roving cameraman, Rimbaud Patron, also a dancer, interacts his moves with those of the other dancers. At times it is unclear what is pre-recorded and what is live, and there is some fun when the virtual reality of another screen descends to the stage and live dancers appear to jump in and out of it.

Swanhilda, superbly danced by Constance Devernay, is a curious journalist with the padded shoulders of an '80s power suit who wants to penetrate the secrets of 'NuLife', Dr Coppélius’ laboratory. We enter a vast, empty set of a grey and white world; technicians in white coats, pastel-coloured staff who work all hours then party together, their life consumed by their workplace. It is a brilliant portrayal of IT life, hinting at Silicon/Uncanny Valley. They slavishly worship their CEO, Dr Coppélius, who is distinctly uncanny, danced by a fiendish, narcissistic and mesmerising Bruno Micchiardi. He is dressed all in black with a polo neck, reminiscent of the late Steve Jobs. Micciardi’s hands creeping over his desk are particularly sinister as Swanhilda/Devernay interviews him. But it’s not all sinister, there is also a humorous vignette of his body-building sessions.

As Swanhilda explores the laboratory at night, she discovers an array of robotic body parts: torsos, heads and, most disturbingly, a tray with a row of fingers are laid out - Sami Fendall, the Art Director’s, brilliant inventions. Robots in striking costumes of white plastic body parts, designed by Annemarie Woods, perform spell-binding dance throughout. The most memorable is when they are standing one behind the other, manipulating long artificial arms where the impression is of a car factory assembly line.

The choreography is cleverly varied; an opening pas de deux between Swanhilda and her boyfriend Franz (Simon Schilgen) suggests a normal human relationship, but gradually a spiky aggressiveness appears in Swanhilda’s challenging interview with the doctor as it becomes clear he accepts no responsibility for his creations. The weird beats of the party scene are danced with '80s style moves, but as the relationship between Swanhilda and the doctor develops the music darkens, and the choreography of their duets becomes startling with unusual extensions and turns reminiscent of Wayne McGregor (whose company Wright danced with for 11 years).

The show steadily becomes more exciting and dark as Swanhilda enters the body of the robot and seduces the doctor. The millions of robot clones multiplying on screen and spilling out into the stage’s walls is a stunning climax to the show, as is the dramatic coup; Swanhilda leaving the doctor inside the onstage screen suspended in a virtual reality for ever. Brilliant! I wish the ballet had ended there but, of course, we had to see Franz and Swanhilda reunited in their normal human relationship. Oh well.

Amir Nisi

Stephanie Green

Stephanie Green has reviewed Theatre and Dance in Edinburgh since 2011 but previously travelled widely, mainly in Eastern Europe and Russia, writing about puppetry. She also studied shadow puppetry and sacred dance in Bali. In the 1970s, she trained as a puppeteer at the Little Angel, London and later worked at the alternative In the Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. After training at the Place, the London School of Contemporary Dance, in her 20s she then gave up dancing until starting again in her 60s just for fun. She has recently danced in a community group with Barrowland Ballet (at the Edinburgh Fringe, 2013), Oceanallover and at the South Bank, London as part of the Festival of the Silver Age. She is also a novelist, playwright and poet. www.stephaniegreen.org.uk/

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The Blurb:

Beloved classical ballet Coppélia is reimagined for the digital age in Scottish Ballet's new production exploring the search for reality in an artificial world.

Scottish Ballet test the boundaries of dance, theatre and film in this distinctive new version of the classic ballet, blending location and real-time filming with projection and live performance in a world premiere.

What does it mean to be human in a world of artificial intelligence? What happens when you fall in love with a machine? How can we compete with the perfection of the unreal? What if the technology we create, and obsess over, takes on a life of its own?

This innovative new production will be choreographed and directed by UK-based duo Jess and Morgs. Building on their previous shows for Scottish Ballet (Tremble, The Secret Theatre), Jess and Morgs will explore our relationship with reality through their playful use of the camera, creating a unique experience for a live theatre audience. The original Delibes score will be referenced and reimagined as part of a new composition by Mikael Karlsson and Michael P. Atkinson, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.

A touch tour for this production is available before the 2.30pm performance on 16 August.

Supported by Léan Scully EIF FundNominee of the FEDORA – VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Ballet 2021.Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union

Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright Direction & ChoreographyJeff James Dramaturgy and Written TextLéo Delibes, Mikael Karlsson and Michael P. Atkinson Music Bengt Gomér Set and Lighting Designer Will Duke Projection and Video DesignerAnnemarie Woods Costume Designer

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