It is rare that theatre truly creates a room where audience and performer combine to collectively create meaning, with genuine energy shared between actors and their spectators. Circle of Fifths has created that rare thing. Directed by Gavin Porter Productions and produced by Threshold, the show is a live documentary that explores how music and stories can connect us all in times of grief and loss. The audience is guided through a Welsh funeral, starting outside the venue, as actors recall their family memories from Butetown, Cardiff.
It is an incredibly moving experience. The 5-strong cast bring such an authenticity to their memories of loved ones, with many a real tear shed, that it is impossible not to feel moved. Anthony ‘Wella’ Corria holds a particular charm, immediately creating a bond with the audience as he recounts the absurd day his community believed him to be dead. It is testament to the cast’s ability to involve their audience that, though no audience members take up their invitation to dance at the start of the show, by the end an entire crowd is bopping to Welsh classics.
Yet this is not simply a dance show. Such is the incredible variety of the piece, grief is discussed through projected interviews, live speeches and trombone solos, keeping the piece ever engaging. Porter has directed a work that may feel spontaneous, yet has such incredible nuance, portraying both the devastation of death and the unity that can be generated through celebrating someone’s life.
There is a somewhat rough-around-the-edges, messy feel to the piece. Porter enters the stage at points to assist with moving the set, and the actors engage in unprompted conversation with their spectators. Yet this only adds to the genuine atmosphere on stage. There are no ‘characters’ here. That is only epitomised by the end of the show, in which the audience is invited to join the cast in the bar next door to talk about their loved ones.
This is a purposefully rough-around-the-edges masterpiece. To describe this as a play would be dishonest. It is more of a ritual, for both audience and performer. Circle of Fifths is exactly what theatre should be.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
