Castles: Entertaining, A Spectacle Of Words, Ideas, Sensations And Colour – Adelaide Fringe Review

The Studio at Holden Street Theatres, Sat 3 Mar. [DANCE/CROSS-ARTFORM – AUS/NZL] Pedal, an earlier piece by House of Sand is followed by Castles essentially a Pt 2. But that doesn’t mean they need to be seen in order or that understanding the second relies heavily on familiarity with the first. Castles has dance, spoken word, song, theatre and elements of visual art created in front of us. It’s been designed to start slowly, Eliza inviting the audience to read what we will into her dance routines as the piece develops. Then spoken word is added; it's a chaotic play with words and sounds, irreverent, plenty of laugh out loud moments and some elements become thematic through the show. Then song as well. Eliza Sanders is simply brilliant in terms of dance, word, expression and performance. The show’s set is incredibly simple; a couple of small piles of clothes, one with a multi-purpose art piece designed into it, and a couple of ropes as clothesline, with pegs. When the second element is hung on the line at multiple points the set is transformed – it’s colourful, seemingly random and visually stunning. At this point there are some amazing dramatic scenes highlighting more of Eliza’s many talents. By this point the audience was engaged strongly, laughing in fits at appropriate moments. Castles is entertaining, a spectacle of words, ideas, sensations, colour and the audience is invited to make its own cognitive leaps in terms of meaning. 4 stars Clayton Werner Castles continues at Holden Street Theatres – The Studio at Holden Street Theatres, at various times, until Sat 17 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe