ED2016 4/5 Reviews ED2016 Theatre Reviews

Ada/Ava by Manual Cinema (Underbelly Productions and Manual Cinema)

By Jon Stapley | Published on Friday 12 August 2016

Using overhead projectors, live music and hundreds of shadow puppets, Manual Cinema weave a tale of loss, grief and sisterhood, all without uttering a word of dialogue (well, almost). The company name is well chosen: the projections effectively appropriate the visual language of film, with pans, tracking shots, soft focus and close-ups. The staging itself lays everything bare, allowing us to view both the process and the result – so while we see the projection of Ada on the suspended screen, we also see the prosthetic-wearing actor representing her. Where do you look? It’s up to you. The story takes some unexpected turns and draws you in, a slightly-too-sharp tonal shift towards the end notwithstanding, and the show fizzes with creativity.

Underbelly Potterrow, until 29 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Jon Stapley]