Idle Motion - The Vanishing Horizon. Zoo 23/8/11

A really great show. Strangely it was listed in the dance section of the fringe brochure. Its devised/ physical/visual theatre – but it aint dance.  

The Vanishing Horizon is about ‘female aviators and the spirit they embody’. Its also about one woman’s (Anna) personal journey as she flies to Africa to collect the ashes of her grandmother who took flight herself years ago and exited the lives of Anna and her mother.  The two story strands interlink to give a strong narrative, but it’s the sheer inventiveness of staging that makes this such a good show .

On a cluttered stage the 6 young performers packed in so much action it could’ve felt messy but the staging was so swift and seamless it worked. The set was strewn with some 30+ suitcases (the stars of the show) and what they didn’t do with a suitcase probably couldn’t be done - Bathroom cabinets, telephone booths, runways, mini bars, plane wings. So many clever touches. Such inventive use of props and objects.

This show was impressive, exciting and inventive. It had sub thems of hopes and ambitions and contained history, human interest and lots of paper planes. The audience loved it and so did I. I'd love to see this piece tour to Northumberland villages but suspect this award-winning company are much in demand. Show duration 55 mins