Friday 7th and Saturday 8th May 2010 @ Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol
Showing as part of Mayfest 2010, Bristol’s festival of contemporary theatre

And so Mayfest 2010 begins: a fortnight of local, national and international artists putting on a mouth-watering and scintillating programme of contemporary theatre across Bristol. Over at the Bristol Old Vic there’s the small matter of a launch party – theatre lovers living it up with musicians, DJs and bacon sandwiches – while over at the Tobacco Factory, we’re already into the meat.

First up for Mayfest 2010 is Love And War by the uncompromising dance theatre troupe, The Mark Bruce Company. It’s always a good idea to start a festival with and bang, but there are bangs, and then there are BANGS! Love And War is an intoxicating carnival of emotions that’s bursting with violent passion, rich symbolism and genuine beauty. It’s very dark and very, very good.

Not one word is uttered by our strictly physical performers for the hour-plus show and so interpretation is left open to the individual. For me, Love And War played out the various short and abstract stories of a Coney Island-like circus gang. Tales of uzi-totting bikers, Satan worshiping cheerleaders, nice girls led astray, passion, lust, anger, fear, violence – love and, indeed, war. Stories were liable to explode into life with vigour and violence but the company were also able to really slow things down to a breathtakingly tender pace whilst still remaining utterly genuine and completely absorbing. A couple of the scenes fell a little flat which meant deriving any meaning from them was difficult but these moments were by far outweighed by the quality of the others.

Love And War is very abstract theatre and is certainly not going to be for everybody but I was blown away by its sheer vigour and punch. First show of Mayfest 2010 and already a “must see”? Most definitely.

www.mayfestbristol.co.uk

Matthew Whittle www.matthewwhittleblog.blogspot.com
Photos by Toby Farrow