‘When Angels Fall’ (Photos by Sophian and Georges Ridel)
By Mike Hoban
‘When Angels Fall’ – Direction and Choreography: Raphaëlle Boitel; Artistic Collaboration, Set Design, and Light Design: Tristan Baudoin; Original Soundtrack and Sound Design: Arthur Bison; Costumes: Lilou Hérin; Rigging, Machinery and Set Design: Nicolas Lourdelle; Artistic Assistant: Clara Henry. Presented by ArtsEmerson at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston through February 24
If you’re a frequent attendee of Boston theater (or a reviewer), you’ve got to love the break from ‘traditional’ theater that ArtsEmerson provides with their visiting programs. Whether it’s the aerial and acrobatic artistry of Montreal’s Seven Fingers, the weird and brilliant live cinematic shadow puppet shows of Chicago’s Manual Cinema, or the insanely imaginative building of an entire house onstage (Geoff Sobelle’s Home), ArtsEmerson’s presentations of contemporary world theatre gives us a much needed respite from the steady diet of productions of Twelfth Night and Fiddler on the Roof – even if, like me, you’re a fan of both.
The latest offering is French director-choreographer Raphaëlle Boitel’s visually and aurally superb When Angels Fall. It’s an impressionistic piece that incorporates circus arts, dance/movement, and a powerful score by Henry Bison to give us an (initially) bleak look at what Boitel describes as “a dystopia, a fiction of anticipation” that looks at the future through the present. The production opens in darkness, with a lone figure in a business suit descending from the ceiling on a horizontal ladder under a solitary light, while an old school version of the tune “Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)”plays in the background. He is soon joined by two other “suits” onstage, and the trio perform a kind of mechanized, repetitive dance possibly designed to convey the drone-like existence of the business class. That scene soon gives way to a montage of people hurrying purposefully from one side of the stage to the other, sometimes being abruptly stopped and jerked forward and back by unseen forces, which might be seen as a reflection of the demands of modern society. No-one looks happy. In fact, there’s a sense of fear that drives all of the movement as if a horrible event is about to transpire.
But the future is not all bleak, and hope is not lost. The entire production is wordless, but one young woman, drawn to a light offstage, begins to try and communicate with that force. This horrifies the people around her, and they try to “shush’ her (the first audible sounds by characters in the piece) as she tries to speak to it, then physically restrain her when she tries to make her way to the light. Eventually, other folks learn and try their hand at various forms of communication and connecting, and it appears that the world may indeed begin to brighten once again. I can’t say with any authority what Boitel is trying to say with When Angels Fall, but it sure is interesting to look at.
The movement by the players is intricately choreographed and absolutely engrossing. There is an interesting mix of styles, incorporating dance and mime, and performers mimic Chaplin in some segments and scurry across the stage like centipedes in others. Many of the performers are acrobats and aerialists, and there are a couple of scenes where performers execute dazzling routines on the Chinese pole, reminiscent of a Cirque de Soleil show. In addition to the talents of the humans, there are four mechanical arms with headlamps that interact with the performers, adding another layer of foreboding. The entire production has a dreamlike quality to it, with the action bouncing back between shadows and light, and uses as much smoke as an arena rock show. As visually stunning as the performances are (and Bison’s pounding soundtrack is compelling as well), the whole piece still has a kind of workshop feel to it, as if Boitel is still trying to figure out what works in the telling of her story. There are some segments in the show that feel overly long, and oddly enough, that includes some of the aerial and pole scenes. It’s like having a great scat singer who doesn’t know when to return to the actual song.
But these are the minor quibbles with a show relies more heavily on atmosphere and awe-inspiring performances than any kind of linear narrative. At the end of the show, I thought I heard a disembodied voice conclude the production with “Give me your answers”. When Angels Fall doesn’t seem to provide any obvious ones, but it’s still a satisfying journey. For tickets and information, go to: https://artsemerson.org
