Bound Sonata
Uniflex Physical Theatre
8:30pm, Wed 8 Mar 2000
Score: 2
Short Review: Self-indulgent
Wow, this was bad. Quoth the Fringe Guide: “Bound Sonata is the obsessive and compulsive in all of us”. Well, the obsession seemed to be entirely on the performer’s side of the fence, whereas the compulsion for me was to leave early.
Two performers, one very lean (“black”), the other heavier-set (“blue”). Black was average on both the movement front and the piano. Blue seemed competent on the movement side of things. The movement prescribed by the piece, presumably meant to symbolise the aforementioned obsessive/compulsive behaviour, was exactly that – that same, inelegant, gestures over and over again, interspersed with much pacing of the floor and whispering to themselves. Visual spectacle? Afraid not – shit boring is a far more apt term.
Interestingly enough, my SO was far more scathing of this piece than I – comments like “no talent, wrote the piece for Year 11 dance class and got a B” were passed around. In a more curious occurance, this has apparently had good reviews – why? What am I missing? And do I really care?