Went to this amazing outdoor dance thing. Electric Hotel. Put on by Sadler's Wells with Fuel. The poor dancers were slightly overshadowed by the amazing 1960s American hotel set they were stuck inside. Me and Michael both agreed that if we were told that building had always been there, in the middle of a King's Cross wasteland a few yards away from an old Victorian gasworks, we would have believed it. Incredibly realistic. Even down to the watermarked concrete, rusty balcony rails and tufts of weeds sticking out at the bottom.
At a pre-show talk about the development of the dance for the show I was amazed by the dancers' unearthly presence and gazelle-like limbs. They didn't seem to cross their legs so much as wrap them round each other like Tangle Twisters. There was an air about them that just made it impossible to imagine them sat behind a desk (sigh). They told us that, while we hear sounds and music through our Silent Disco headphones, they hear beeps, giving them cues when to drop keys, knock on doors, jump on beds... They also said how weird it was not to be dancing in the same room as each other, so they couldn’t feel each others' presence. It was a shame that when it was opened up for questions, all anyone could ask about was the structure. But unavoidable really, it's hard to ignore. Four stories high and made of six shipping containers.
The show itself is a lovely idea and was spectacular in places. Small moments like a woman in a red dress pressed up against the window, light shining behind her, creating a thin, spiderlike silhouette on the glass. Big moments like all the dancers synchronised in their different rooms. The lighting was striking and well thought out. Loved the blue box lighting bit. Only thing is, I wanted more. More dancing please. More big moments. Less repeating the same scene that I’m never going to understand no matter how many times you redo it. Luckily I didn't expect to understand the story, so managed to let it wash over me. Michael, however, didn’t, and came out frustrated at not being able to logically explain what was going on. Even though he said for the first half an hour he had thought it was the best piece of theatre he'd ever seen. It's interesting wearing those headphones because it forces you not to speak to who you’re with about what’s going on, so we came out with completely different versions of the story. Varying from dream to reality, suicide to murder.
I'm definitely glad I saw this, but somehow I wanted something more important. I sometimes complain about theatre being too worthy and trying to say too much, but this time I was left craving some depth. (And actually more mining of the weird stuff people do in their hotel rooms when they think no-one’s watching.) Really I wondered what is driving you to make all these dancers (who don’t even dance that much) and this 52-tonne set trek across the UK if you're not saying something that the world's got to hear. Surely not just for an overblown horror movie. It's not totally a giant gimmick but it was threatening to lean that way. Unless, which is quite possible, my brain wasn't sophisticated enough to get the message. Reading the reviews today made me laugh because even the most experienced reviewers seemed confused by the event.
Although it added to the drama to be outside with the wind on my face, I was wishing desperately for another jumper or a quick swim in their hot mulled cider. Michael thought it would be good to have a VIP section where a copy of the hotel would be built opposite. You'd get a fancy dinner and be able to sit inside, and the producers could charge loads of money for the experience. Then we had this great idea of hot-tub theatre. Like drive-in movies, only you all sit in hot tubs. Only Michael thought you wouldn't need the theatre then. I mean once you have a hot tub what more do you need.
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