Review - Germinal

Melbourne Festival Presents:

Germimal

Conception and Direction

Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort

Performers

Arnaud Boulogn

Beatriz Setien

Antoine Defoort

Halory Goerger

And the voice of Maillard

Technical Conception – Mael Teillant

Technical Direction – Colin Plancher

Malthouse Theatre

19 – 22 October 2017

Germinal is marvelous festival fare – an exceptional experience.  It is just the sort of show that stretches expectations and delivers the completely unpredicted in a totally unique way.  One gasps and laughs with surprise whilst being charmed by the whimsical nonsensicality of the experience.  And yet all the time the reasoning of the whole seems to be based on the perfectly rational.

Do take your glasses if you are a little short sighted because the written word, projected onto the back wall, is an integral component as is the distinctly French philosophical approach.  Most of the spoken language is French though the initial set up is in English.

This work professes to be about working with time and space.   It is sparse and focused and allows for a variety of interpretations. 

Everything starts in the very dark void of the black box of a neutral stage space.  Four actors of apparently equal status work together, all are integral to outcomes.  They initiate, communicate, share, negotiate, contravene, create, respond and cooperate as individuals.  It is evident that they know each other well although they appear unsure of how to interpret the place and situation they find themselves in.  And everything seems to be based on the premise that they, and we with them, are moving into the unknown.  Ideas are explored, offers are made and accepted and built upon.   Then wacky things happen.  Nothing can be taken for granted.

This show is the perfect reminder that the courage of venturing into the unknown is a visceral launching point for making art.

Suzanne Sandow