Back Left: Wake Up Your Senses! ~ Adelaide Fringe 2019 Review

[CIRCUS & PHYSICAL THEATRE ~ AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE ~ MEX/USA] Live From Tandanya – Tandanya Theatre, Wed 20 Feb. Unfortunately one half of the billed duo couldn’t come but that doesn’t mean the show can’t continue to go on! Clearly Back Left at the Adelaide Fringe is different from its previous incarnations, presented solo by Ezra LeBank (Professor and Head of Movement at CSU). It’s new and somewhat nervous ground and Ezra starts with a meet and greet as we enter the theatre, creating empathy and then we all have a chat. What follows is a number of explorations of the senses; sight, smell, touch, sound, taste, balance and the sense of self along the way, but all in unexpected ways; sometimes backwards, always unused pathways. It might be a left handed thing (noting that Ezra is a lefty), but at least some members of the audience seemed to go into an unusual state of consciousness along the way – not a suspension of disbelief, more related to having had their left-handedness suppressed in earlier life, really interesting! Doing everyday activities, but in different states (like using your fingers instead of utensils, with your eyes closed etc.) is a surprisingly simple idea, but it can have the oddest effects in the mind. At different times we had some freestyle movement on the stage, as well as video on the screen (which included the original collaborator as well). There were a couple of routines with volunteers, both of which took fascinating twists, underlying the benefits of trying something new and including others. At the end of the show, it seems we’ve had as much philosophy as anything else, unusual ideas and fresh ways to approach everyday things and we’ve seen that things can happen in unplanned ways and still be fun, fulfilling and successful – an idea I want to keep fresh! 3.5 stars Clayton Werner Back Left continues at Live From Tandanya – Tandanya Theatre, at various times, until Sun 3 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe