Writer: Sabrina Mahfouz
Music: Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante
Choreographer: Kendrick ‘H2O’ Sandy
Director: Danny Boyle
Some time around 2013, when the idea of what was then dubbed ‘The Factory’ was first raised, Manchester was promised a performance space where artists could do things they couldn’t do anywhere else. So now we have it – Aviva Studios, a vast warehouse and adjoining, flexible theatre space, which has risen up on the edge of the city, and is now home to Factory International. The building spans 13,350 square metres internally – and if you can’t quite picture that, the Warehouse alone could house a Boeing 747. Big is great – but the key element here is really the flexibility. Born out of the Manchester International Festival, known for its transformation of non-theatre spaces as venues for newly commissioned productions, Aviva Studios is about never having to say ‘we can’t do that’ when someone comes up with a challenging creative idea.
While there were a handful of MIF events in the building over the summer, Free Your Mind is the official opening show. It’s the world premiere of a multi-media experience based on The Matrix, and, with this mind-blowingly spectacular looking show they have gone some way to achieving that original aim, using every possible space to create an extravagant immersive, eye-popping experience.
The first of two acts takes place in the Hall. The vast stage is dominated by a huge projection of mathematical equations. We’re welcomed by Alan Turing. This is not The Matrix as we know it – or rather don’t know it. If you saw it when it came out almost 25 years ago you will probably be struggling to remember the story, and what’s more, Free Your Mind draws on the ‘multiverse of creative work that has expanded on the original film over the years’. While it’s not essential, there probably would be some mileage in knowing the story in advance. Turing is here to remind us of our own city’s part in industrialisation and technology, with archive footage of the grimy 19th century city and 20thcentury modernisation.
The first half is a series of visually stunning dance pieces that loosely set up the story. A line of dancers struggle to free themselves from long white fabric tubes which stretch up into the darkness above. The Lady in the Red Dress (Kristine Berget) writhes like an exotic dancer amid the black-clad ensemble. Trinity (Nicey Belgrave) in tight black latex and a bright red wig fights half a dozen police officers. It’s all beautifully choregraphed, skilfully performed…and a bit baffling.
At the end of the first half we are told to ‘follow the white rabbit’. These suited, rabbit headed characters have been hanging around the foyer before the show and are a rather lovely Lynchian touch that suggests a level of surrealism that fails to be delivered in the actual show. There’s a few more of these little extras scattered around the building that, given the crowds, lots of the audience seem to miss. A particularly creepy scene on the way to the warehouse, where the second act takes place, is a tableau of four children sat in a room, absorbed in the task of bending spoons. Not knowing the story well enough to know where this fits only adds to its delicious strangeness.
An interval, after a short first half, is a mistake. It completely interrupts the flow of the piece. A promenade en masse from one space to the other, following beckoning rabbits, could have been a suitably ritualistic and immersive act. Instead it’s just a rush to the bar followed by a lot of confusion about where to go next.
In 1999 The Matrix reflected a growing fear of AI and tech. A quarter of a century later we have a very different relationship with it. Unfortunately, Free your Mind takes a rather unsophisticated view of this contemporary relationship. There’s an over-long and repetitive scene about the evils of Amazon, and another which suggests the zombification of smart phone use. It’s a naïve and tired message, clumsily delivered.
The second half of the show takes place on a massive traverse stage with an overhanging run of screens playing film and digital projections (Luke Halls). While it looks great when the huge cast of dancers fills the stage for ensemble numbers, it’s equally impressive when a single figure inhabits this vast space, especially when Kendrick ‘H2O’ Sandy (Morpheus) works the catwalk with some style
There is no doubt that this is a spectacular and gloriously flamboyant show. It looks wonderful with its industrial scale sets (Es Devlin), flawless lighting design (Lucy Carter) and truly impressive costumes (Gareth Pugh), but it lacks any dramatic depth and subtlety. It’s a bit like when you go into an electrical store to buy a TV and they’re all showing images in a super saturated palette, all autumn leaves and Italian lakes. It all looks fantastic but they’re empty visuals just there to sell you the telly.
While Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante’s expansive score creates a powerful backbone to the show, the big omission is live music. Some strings and vocalists used intermittently alongside the recorded score would have created something truly special.
Danny Boyle says the show is about ‘handing the keys over to the people of Manchester’. There is no doubt that these are valuable keys and that the city has a very special place to be filled with extraordinary things. Free your Mind though, only hints at what’s possible.
Runs until 5 November 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
extravagant
