Intriguing but bewildering

For those in the know, Poland's Gardzienice Centre For Theatre Practices is an influential, avant-garde company who have pioneered a heightened performance style by working closely with early forms of music. But for the average theatre-goer, this double-bill of pieces inspired by Greek myths is likely to bewilder as much as it intrigues.

In Metamorphoses, based on Apuleius's story of The Golden Ass, in which a magician is turned into a donkey, music - or rather, a sort of vocal and rhythmic incantation - is the dominant expression. It is a performance that also relies heavily on dance and visual symbolism, in this case closely allied with the story of Christ and His resurrection. The energy is extraordinary; the story virtually impossible to decipher.

If you embrace the company's nonliteral mode, there is much to enjoy in Elektra, which at least uses a more explicit narrative, telling the story of the daughter who seeks revenge on her adulterous mother for her rape. Central to this performance is cheironomia, a visual vocabulary of hand gestures used in Ancient Greek theatre. What follows is an exuberant display of theatre in which physical communication is reduced to its essence.

Simultaneously, this allows for a rich, primal and profoundly emotional form of storytelling that rather exhilaratingly, is the absolute opposite of conventional Western practice. There's no doubt, however, that getting the most from it requires you to leave your preconceptions at the door.

Until Feb 11, Barbican, Silk Street EC2, Tue to Sun 7.45pm, £15, £7.50 concs (returns only). Tel: 0845 120 7550. www.barbican.org.uk. Tube: Barbican/Moorgate

Metamorphoses & Elektra