Atmospheric, animalistic and unnerving. These are just a few words that describe the performance of Hofesh Shecter’s SHOW that took place at the MAC on Thursday 18th May.
A 55 minute performance, with strictly no phones and no breaks, this was a circus being taken incredibly seriously. In his latest work, Hofesh Shechter, renowned for his award-winning and carefully calculated choreography, presents us with The Entrance, The Clowns and Exit. Performed on the night by four women and three men, or alternatively, one ringmaster, one clown and seemingly five slaves, the mood and movement switches from uniform to tribal to completely flexible and fluid.
In a series of repetitive and hypothetical homicides, we begin to understand in ‘The Clowns’ that there are no strings attached for the former puppets we met in ‘The Entrance’. It’s not all doom and gloom though – in ‘Exit’ our cast finally make an audible sound – a slightly drunken dirge that is as delightful as it is dark.
It is difficult to decipher what statement SHOW makes, whether it is about politics and patriarchy, idolising or even an insight to the nature of the entertainment industry. One thing is for sure, though, that this is a macabre must-see at The Mac and is still on until tomorrow evening.
Author: Anna Louise Crockard
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