DANCE

As a Lecoq trained company, their work clearly derived from a physical centre, with great attention to the body in the space, giving the actors incredibly engaging stage presence and focus. Having billed itself under the Dance and Physical Theatre genre, however, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of movement driven scenes. Using caricatured personalities, they portray the story of a socially awkward, perhaps even mildly autistic Flynch in the aftermath of his break up with a girlfriend he can’t stop loving. His journey leads him to a seaside hotel, where the play is set, and through surrealist scenes of escapism and dream-like states, they creatively paint a very funny perspective of the title characters circumstances and emotions.

Flynch is a very endearing character, beautifully played by Ben Teare, with a great balance between the goony hilarity and an inductive sympathy, sensitively done. In a plot where the everyday is heightened, they have created a simplistic, low-budget show that is easy and beautiful to watch. They imaginatively utilise minimal props in an incredibly effective way, most memorably creating a TV with an open suitcase and a flickering torch, so that there are glimpses of artistic genius.

‘Clout’ has great potential, but ironically it lacks clout. It is a gentle interpretation of one man’s tragedy, descending into a dream-like surrealism, but although it is visually quite beautiful, it isn’t stunning, and needs grounding. They seem pre-occupied with conveying the narrative, as it is largely dialogue centred and perhaps overly wordy, but poetic, so that when they break out into a comical dance routine, this moment seems out of place amongst the other scenes.