Direction and Choreography by Raphaëlle Boitel. Artistic Collaboration, Lighting and Set Design by Tristan Baudoin; Original Music by Arthur Bison; Machinery, Rigging, Apparatus, Safety by Nicolas Lourdelle; Sound Design and Sound Management by Nicolas Gardel. Presented by Arts Emerson, Emerson Paramount Center, Boston through April 2nd.
by Shelley A. Sackett
I was not among those in the audience when Raphaëlle Boitel brought her production, ‘When Angels Fall,’ to Boston in February 2019. After viewing her latest, ‘Shadows Cast,’ at the packed house opening night performance on Thursday, I have mixed feelings about having missed it. On the one hand, I would add it to my long list of regrets. On the other hand, having no idea what to expect, I was utterly blown away in that yearned-for way that is so rare and so delicious.
Before the house lights go down, the stage begins to disappear into a cloud of smoke. A silky female voice narrates in French (opera subtitles) as the lights gradually pierce through the haze and illumine a woman with waist-length blond hair perched on a contortionist’s rope. A beautiful soundtrack accompanies her narration and gyrations, as she twists and turns, lithely flipping and snaking her way up and down. It is like watching a fairy play on a jungle vine by the light of a full moon.
But when she manipulates the rope into a swing and breaks the fourth wall by swinging from the invisible back of the stage practically into the third row (netless, no less!), the audience is thrilled beyond their wildest dreams. And for the next 70 intermission-less minutes, they will remain so.
The woman is K (a magnificent, otherworldly Boitel) and she is the putative main character of the show. She is enigmatic, traumatized by family secrets and the silence that surrounds them. Like ghosts hiding in the wings, these secrets cast long, dark shadows. Her efforts to get her father to open up and talk with her are met with silence. She beseeches her family to help. Their reactions and their own versions of their shared lies, intimacies, and unacknowledged history are the backbone of the plot.
Boitel states her goal is to represent that which is hidden or unexplored, the mysterious, and “what we believe is erased or forgotten. With this show, I want to talk about what is left unsaid.”
The plot, strong characters, dramaturgy, and a suspenseful ending, however, take a back seat to the real stars of the show: dance, circus arts, acrobatics, visual arts, and cinema.
Spaces open and close, equipment appears and disappears, and the seven performers strut their acting, dancing, and acrobatic skills. They crawl on the ground and fly through the air, in and out of view.
Set, sound, and lighting are characters unto themselves. The trio works together to translate a story into the metaphorical and metaphysical in interconnected and interdependent ways. The effect is surreal, emotional, and eyepopping, a true multisensorial orgy. It is as if we crawled through the rabbit hole and landed in the Land of CGI.
Luckily, Boitel doesn’t wallow in the underbelly of trauma and darkness. She sprinkles enough humor to counterbalance the heaviness of her message.
“I hope the story of K, the young woman who wants to escape the silence, will resonate with each audience member as much as it resonates with the performers. Her family could be ours. Her story is the story of many women. Our role is to prompt them to speak out,” she said in the program notes.
At the end of the day, however, ‘Shadows Cast’ is better experienced than read about. If you haven’t already gotten tickets for this very limited run, drop everything and do so. Otherwise, like this reviewer and the missed “When Angels Fall” opportunity, you will surely regret it!
For tickets and more information, go to: artsemerson.org
