The Crying Cherry is the story of twins, Anaki and Kitano, destined to kill one another. When their mother hears this prophecy, she sends Anaki into the mountains to die; instead he meets someone who saves him and ultimately enables his destiny.Ian Bok and Maarten Heijmans graduated from the Amsterdam school of Arts with this show in 2007. Since then they have taken it to Prague, Dublin and Amsterdam, winning awards wherever they go.High-concept physical theatre, The Crying Cherry is performed almost entirely in faux-Japanese gibberish, and Bok and Heijmans have the audience utterly agog for every head twitch, guttural utterance and finger flex. New characters are brought to life through the simplest change of posture, and the actors imbue even the most recognisable stereotype with a sympathetic humanity. Geisha, samurai, dragon, crow: Bok and Heijmans embody them all as they jump, stretch, flip, spin and kick across the stage, defying gravity, sweating in polyester. It is astonishing and hilarious, and the combination of slick choreography and clowning is exhilarating to watch. Throat singing, body percussion, beat boxing and mime are yet more examples of the many talents employed in creating this whirlwind of a show.These guys deserve every award theyve got, and will hopefully pick up more while theyre here.
