Review at a glance
The earth is spinning. Or at least a wooden platform in the centre of the stage is, its six inhabitants leaning at close to 45 degrees as they seek to stay on their feet against centrifugal forces. The women throw their arms around the men’s necks, and their bodies arc in the air, only invisible physics glueing them together.
It’s one of the genius moments in French director Yoann Bourgeois’s He Who Falls, a circus/dance piece that takes place on a large square platform that tilts, spins and swings, resulting in a show that’s part adventure playground, part abstract study in group behaviour and part disaster movie.
The performers are completely at the mercy of the stage, scrambling up its sheer incline or searching for equilibrium as it wobbles. There are cheap thrills as the floor quakes, but we can also see characters dealing with uncertainty, reacting to an outside world they can’t control. We can see the tacit agreements of communities as groups form, individuals take their chances and trust is bonded and broken. We can see many stories, or we can just enjoy the ride.
Until February 6, Barbican Theatre (020 7638 8891, barbican.org.uk)
Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout