They stand huddled together in the corner of the dimly lit stage, faces blank, bodies motionless. In the ensuing moments these figures skilfully transcend onto the stage, transforming the minimalist set into life. What then unfolds over the next hour and a half is a stunning visual masterpiece.
Pages from the book of… surpasses a show and becomes an experience, an unforgettable one. Anyone familiar with the Tadeusz Kantor’s Cricot 2 Company would expect nothing less. This visionary piece, devised alongside 50 Letters, is directed by Andrzej and Teresa Welminski, the two former performers of Cricot 2, which was renowned for its avant garde approach to theatre.
Kantor himself was greatly influenced by Bruno Schulz, a celebrated polish writer and victim of the Nazi occupation. Somewhat appropriately this play pays tribute to the life and death of Schulz through innovative physical theatre inspired by Kantor’s earlier works. As 50 Letters morph into character, object, and emotion from the ordinary to the abstract, it becomes apparent you are watching something truly special. If not only for the skilful physicality of each actor, it is worth seeing.
The intensity of the physical performance does distract from the insightful monologues of the narrator. The audio effects, though undeniably enjoyable and vital for the ambience, meant it was hard to hear some of the speech at times. Admittedly, even if I had heard, I doubt I would have been any less bewildered as to what exactly was happening before me.
Then again, 50 Letters does not aim to deliver a standard theatrical show, it promises to explore the extremities of life and death (and a chorus of flapping birds), which is exactly what it does. An audience must put any expectations to one side and enjoy the piece for what it is, an impressive work of performative art.