Choreographer: Hofesh Shechter
We knew the day would come, the day when we would run out of superlatives to describe the works of British-Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter. His newest piece, Theatre of Dreams, is as spectacular as always, but it pushes his 13 dancers to their limits like never before. For 90 minutes, the performers never stop moving.
And it’s as loud as a rock concert, too, with a few people fleeing the auditorium when it becomes clear that the volume will not be turned down. Mixing muffled house and Latin beats, Shechter’s sound design feels more modern than usual, gesturing towards the future rather than to the medieval vibes of earlier shows like Grand Finale. Osnat Kelner’s costumes are sleekly contemporary; gone are the Elizabethan ruffs and smocks and the flashes of blood red that signalled the mock violence in Clowns.
Indeed, there’s no violence at all in Theatre of Dreams. Instead, the dancers party incessantly in what appears to be a hidden nightclub that one dancer, in a stylish blue suit, enters by lifting up the bottom of the Sadler’s Wells’ curtains. Inside are more curtains that open and close, revealing snippets of wild raves, vignettes of excited partygoers or filmic sections where people rush to take off their clothes.
Under the lights of Tom Visser, these scenes are painterly, never so much so when a group of dancers move inside a red-curtained box. In a flash, so quick it seems impossible, our adventurer stands alone in the box, looking out. He delves deeper into this hedonistic paradise where there are always more curtains, always more music, always more life. He’s entered a rabbit hole that he can never exit. Only once does he try to escape, but he’s rapidly dragged back behind the curtains to return to the revelry, which will never stop.
Joining the dancers for some sections are three scarlet-suited musicians who play and sing Spanish easy-listening on top of the pulsing beats. For a while, the company reflects this new sound with more sensual patterns, a welcome change from the precision of their other steps. But just as you think that the dancers may be improvising, they suddenly bunch up again, and their usual rhythm is continued.
It’s strange and haunting and so it’s a shame that halfway through the show, the house lights come on and the dancers invite the audience to get up and dance, even persuading some members in the stalls to join them in front of the stage. This fourth-wall-breaking worked a treat in 2021’s The Fix, when, after the pandemic, all we needed was a hug from one of Shechter’s dancers, but here, in Theatre of Dreams, it only works to break the spell that we are peering into another world, a world out-of-reach. It’s a relief when the lights go down, and we’re told to go back to our seats.
Not all the curtains open, as that would suggest an end. And so, the dancers must keep dancing, even if there is no music to be heard.
Runs until 12 October 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Never stop
