The seond part of this year's BITE season at London's Barbican mixes
Shakespeare, contemporary dance, circus and the Sleeping Beauty.
"Much of the work in the next six months," says Louise Jeffreys
(Head of Theatre), "is concerned in some way with transformation,
reinvention and rediscovery. Gumboots and Amajuba, both from South Africa,
transform the horrors of the past into theatre that is uplifting and
celebratory. Jérôme Thomas rediscovers the traditional
circus as a one man juggling show. Simon McBurney reinvents Murakami’s
stories as compelling theatre. Merce Cunningham’s latest work,
Split Sides, has 32 different incarnations – the one you
will see is decided by the throw of dice at the start of the performance.
Les Arts Florissants and Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu reinvent Baroque
opera for the 21st century. And for Christmas the Young Vic Theatre
Company brings its acclaimed production of Sleeping Beauty –
where the whole plot is transformed by one of the most famous kisses
in literature.
Gumboots
6 -10 July
Twelve of South Africa’s finest performers explode onto the stage
in an exhilarating extravaganza of athletic dance, song and the infectious
energy of African rhythm.
Gumboot dance dates back to the apartheid regime, when mine workers
wore Wellington boots to protect their feet, and developed a new means
to communicate because they were forbidden to talk. This is a boot
slapping celebration of urban African life, with original and contemporary
songs and dancing that embodies the rich harmonies and spirit of Africa.
The Elephant Vanishes
Complicite
02 – 25 Sep
Directed by Simon McBurney, The Elephant Vanishes is an adaptation
of three short stories by contemporary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
Murakami became a national celebrity when his novel Norwegian
Wood sold over 4 million copies in Japan. His collection of short
stories entitled The Elephant Vanishes reveal Japan as experienced
from the inside, dislocating realities to uncover the surreal in the
everyday, the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Macbeth and The Changeling
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (Bristol)
23 Sept - 23 Oct
This is Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory’s first highly anticipated
visit to London. Their emphasis upon the masterful language and tone
of original texts creates a realistic world populated with fresh and
authentic characters. With a full cast presenting the complete texts,
this young Bristol company presents the opportunity for audiences
to experience first-class historical drama up close in the intimate
atmosphere of the Pit.
The company will present Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Middleton
& Rowley’s great Jacobean tragic-comedy, The Changeling,
in which a beautiful young heiress, about to be given in marriage
to a man she loathes, catches the nearest, but most fateful way out
of her predicament.
Split Sides and How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
5 – 9 Oct
Split Sides represents the dance legend’s collaboration
with cutting-edge rock acts Radiohead and Sigur Ros and features exciting
new choreography. The roll of dice determines the course of the evening.
With two choices each of choreography, music, costume, design and
lighting there are 32 different possible combinations.
How to Kick, Pass, Fall and Run (BITE:02) is a key Cunningham
piece, reflecting the choreographer’s challenge to conventional
dance movements. As nine dancers perform centre stage, Cunningham
makes a unique appearance, reading short stories by John Cage. For
a twist, each story is told within one minute, regardless of its length.
Hamlet
Directed by Yukio Ninagawa
10 – 27 Nov
A cinematic spectacle splashes across the stage in this new production
of Hamlet from celebrated Japanese director Yukio Ninagawa.
The master’s vivid style highlights the classic play’s
themes of murder, madness and revenge, arguably one of the greatest
written in the English language. Ninagawa has previously presented
a Japanese-language Hamlet at the Barbican but this new production
will be in English. Michael Maloney appears in the title role. His
credits include the films Truly Madly Deeply and Hamlet
as well as a highly respected stage career including King Lear
(RSC/Thelma Holt). With a supporting cast of the highest calibre,
Hamlet promises to be a compelling theatrical event.
Sleeping Beauty
Young Vic Theatre Company
11 Dec - 11 Jan
Original production Young Vic Theatre Company
Revival co-produced with BITE:04
Directed by Rufus Norris
Flatulent fairies, repressed ogres, and a prince who is more interested
in hunting bears than kissing girls. What a world to wake up to! The
Young Vic Theatre bring the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty to
the Barbican Theatre for Christmas.
Based on Charles Perrault’s story, this magical production takes
us on a journey beyond that waking kiss into a perilous world of beastly
shadows, nasty smells and a forest full of enchanted trouble. Full
of energy, mischief and adventure.
