Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a new, compelling, one-person performance from in situ:. It takes place in the magical setting of the Leper Chapel, a unique venue loaded with history and significance.
The source poem for the production is a collection of mysterious stories about ‘transformation’. But this show is much more than an attempt at story-telling – it’s a full journey and sensorial experience which the audience unexpectedly embarks on.
Richard Spaul, with a surprising use of voice and body-expression, is able to create a stunning kaleidoscope of images quickly appearing and dissolving, sometimes lingering for a prolonged period of time.
The fast-paced narration smoothly moves from one register to another and includes snippets of popular songs. The protagonists of the stories become real in flesh and bone – they speak through their own fears, desires, obsessions. The landscape changes constantly, offering the audience different angles and takes. One can hear many voices from the same story almost overlapping.
The final result is much closer to cinematography – the art of visual storytelling – than to an audio podcast. The jaw-dropping montage of theatre ‘clips’ and extremely accessible and lively language used in this in situ: version bring Metamorphoses back to life from more than two millennia ago, adding new keys of interpretation and chances for reflection. The underlying themes of the show are incredibly modern and poignant: love, morality, transgression, freedom, repression, abuse, identity crisis…
In a way, the spectator too feels changed, even once such an absorbing, fascinating and disconcerting experience is over.
Silvano Squizzato
