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Theatre Review | Louder
- Ron Lee, CSP, MAICD
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Louder
Producers Brandenburger Symponiker and Gravity & Other Myths
Brandenburger Theater and Chamäleon Berlin
Joan Sutherland Theatre
Sydney Opera House
Photo credit Daniel Boud
Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP
It’s interesting when two elements that might not normally combine are placed in a creative marriage. Sometimes it works, and sometimes not so much.
Louder is a collaboration between Brandenburger Symponiker and Gravity & Other Myths in which eight extraordinary performers whose sheer physical power, timing, flexibility and talent smash into the 22 piece Metropolitan Orchestra that plays classical music, and they take us to a place that few have experienced.
As well as Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and many other classical favourites, there are original compositions by Sxip Shirey and Quincey Grant. Orchestra conductors are not normally known for their flair for comedy but Sarah Grace-Williams lets loose her dry, contextual, understated comedic awareness.
The cast comprises the impressive skills of Em Gare, Hamish McCourty, Issy Estrella, Ash Youren, Léann Gingras, David Trappes, Skip Walker-Milne, Georgia Webb who are incredible and at times breathtaking. There are numerous moments in which, as one, the audience lets out an audible gasp. Can you imagine performing the clean and jerk, a two-part weightlifting feat, with someone who is much bigger than you? Lifting a bar that has weights on the end is different to doing it with a human being. Normally when a weightlifter completes the jerk, they drop the weight, but that can’t really be done with a person. That was an audience gasp moment. My companion on the night kept asking, “How can anyone do that?”
It's not all brilliant acrobatics, gymnastics and circus skills; there's classical ballet and dance that reminded me of the golden days of the Sydney Dance Company before it became self-indulgent. Those days featured Graeme Murphy, Janet Vernon, Jennifer Barrie and a young Paul Mercurio.
If you want to be astounded, astonished, amazed and ultimately entertained, get yourself along to see Louder; it’s one of the most enjoyable productions of the year.
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