A Madman's Magnificent Construction (Dollhouse - Tai Kwun review)
15 Oct 2018 | Ashley
For say a person is in despair, does his desperation separate him from reality, thus constructs instead a detrimental world where hope is utterly absent? Dollhouse (身不由己), brought to us by Canadian choreographer and dance master, Bill Coleman, and sound artist Gordan Monahan, constructed a madman's world before us on 12 Oct, 2018 at Tai Kwun's JC Cube.
What stood out the most would be the ridiculousness and illogical progression of the show, from dangerous props such as glass and mouse traps, to unsettling sounds made from metal wires, boiling water, to flapping plant things. There was not a part in the performance where the audience knew exactly what was happening or what would happen next. I like to interpret this as the hallucination of a madman, because this performance was indeed a piece of madness, yet sadly not mad enough to be shocking, which explains why the piece was not as exciting as it might sound. If this was a piece intended to create discomfort, I was not uneasy enough to be 100% attentive. Though, I was sure that the madman in the show, Coleman, enjoyed himself entirely. When the water poured down his face, it was as if he was enjoying the suffering, and this contributes too to the idea of a madman. Yet, could a person in despair be essentially mad?
I have also pondered the dynamics between Monahan and Coleman. I think they are an interesting duo. At times, I thought the music was the leader of Coleman's movements. This idea came to mind when Monahan, as the musician, moved the positions of several tapes on Coleman's body, which was followed by Coleman's immediate reaction to each positional "stimulation". This series of interaction could easily suggest the musician's leadership role in the piece, yet slowly, you would realise that perhaps it was Coleman who was taking the lead all along. While Monahan made sounds, he observed Coleman intently from aside to determine his musical reactions to Coleman's slapstick performance. At one point, Coleman sat on an audience's seat like an outsider, almost a puppeteer, to observe his magnificent creation, in other words, the world collapsed upon him which he had constructed from desperation. Monahan might just be his helper. Anyhow, it was evident that they were both spontaneous and relied heavily upon complimentary reactions. One could not work without the other.
Although the show was generally an interesting sight to see, it was not shocking or engaging enough. This piece needs more atmospheric elements to create discomfort. It would be more effective in illustrating the desperation and hopelessness of the protagonist, whose behaviour is too absurd for the audience to relate to or to sympathise with. It is therefore necessary to adopt rather, an externally haunting method, to engage the audience, which is through more horror, distortion, and madness. Nonetheless, I have to applaud Coleman for all the "accidents" he had to go through on stage. I hope he does not catch a cold.
For say a person is in despair, does his desperation separate him from reality, thus constructs instead a detrimental world where hope is utterly absent? Dollhouse (身不由己), brought to us by Canadian choreographer and dance master, Bill Coleman, and sound artist Gordan Monahan, constructed a madman's world before us on 12 Oct, 2018 at Tai Kwun's JC Cube.
What stood out the most would be the ridiculousness and illogical progression of the show, from dangerous props such as glass and mouse traps, to unsettling sounds made from metal wires, boiling water, to flapping plant things. There was not a part in the performance where the audience knew exactly what was happening or what would happen next. I like to interpret this as the hallucination of a madman, because this performance was indeed a piece of madness, yet sadly not mad enough to be shocking, which explains why the piece was not as exciting as it might sound. If this was a piece intended to create discomfort, I was not uneasy enough to be 100% attentive. Though, I was sure that the madman in the show, Coleman, enjoyed himself entirely. When the water poured down his face, it was as if he was enjoying the suffering, and this contributes too to the idea of a madman. Yet, could a person in despair be essentially mad?
I have also pondered the dynamics between Monahan and Coleman. I think they are an interesting duo. At times, I thought the music was the leader of Coleman's movements. This idea came to mind when Monahan, as the musician, moved the positions of several tapes on Coleman's body, which was followed by Coleman's immediate reaction to each positional "stimulation". This series of interaction could easily suggest the musician's leadership role in the piece, yet slowly, you would realise that perhaps it was Coleman who was taking the lead all along. While Monahan made sounds, he observed Coleman intently from aside to determine his musical reactions to Coleman's slapstick performance. At one point, Coleman sat on an audience's seat like an outsider, almost a puppeteer, to observe his magnificent creation, in other words, the world collapsed upon him which he had constructed from desperation. Monahan might just be his helper. Anyhow, it was evident that they were both spontaneous and relied heavily upon complimentary reactions. One could not work without the other.
Although the show was generally an interesting sight to see, it was not shocking or engaging enough. This piece needs more atmospheric elements to create discomfort. It would be more effective in illustrating the desperation and hopelessness of the protagonist, whose behaviour is too absurd for the audience to relate to or to sympathise with. It is therefore necessary to adopt rather, an externally haunting method, to engage the audience, which is through more horror, distortion, and madness. Nonetheless, I have to applaud Coleman for all the "accidents" he had to go through on stage. I hope he does not catch a cold.
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