A show out of this world

Robert Lepage's one-man space odyssey is as close as you get to dreaming without putting on pyjamas. A work of exquisite beauty and theatrical genius, it's about two middle-aged brothers who have lost their mother.

One is a rich, gay weatherman and the other is a sad, lonely geek. But the play finds its orbit by comparing the brothers' sibling rivalry to the American and Russian space race in the 1970s.

Mixing technology, puppetry, straight acting and ironic observation, this is not a conventional drama.

The power of the show lies in its metamorphic staging which turns a washing machine into a womb, a space hatch, a goldfish bowl and an MRI scanner that plays back the brothers' childhood memories.

And all the while the set itself is like a space station revolving to the haunting music of Laurie Anderson.

Canadian actor Yves Jacques now performs the show first seen in London starring Lepage himself two years ago. It is a tall order to reprise the success of Lepage's original, especially since it is so tenderly autobiographical, but his performance is every bit as poignant and no less hypnotising.

He spins out the brothers' sibling rivalry with grace and pathos as they battle around the show's enduring image of their mother cradling a toddler-size puppet in a space suit.

Until Saturday 25th October, Barbican, Silk Street EC2, Mon to Sat 7.45pm, £10 to £30 (Wed returns only). Tel: 0845 120 7550.

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