By Sophia Stovall | Photo: Jan Jul
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February 2014 brings Nicolaj Cederholm’s theatre concert, Mozart Undone, to the Barbican Centre, London. Experience one of the most unconventional romps through one tonne of water and 30 Mozart hits, where music takes centre stage.
“Live rock concert, visual spectacle, cabaret act – a show that defies categorisation yet has a cult following at home, drawing audiences who ‘can’t get enough of it’.” Copenhagen Post
The ‘theatre concert’ concept began in 1994 with the Danish legends Gasolin, before they moved on to celebrate The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Bob Dylan. Now Nicolaj Cederholm, the Danish director who masterminded the theatre concert, turns his attention to Mozart. And where better to have the UK premiere than in London, the beating heart of theatre, and performed at the Barbican Centre, the capital’s creative and cultural platform?
Mozart enthusiasts will arguably be looking for the Magic Flute themes and Don Juans, but they should discard the music history and surrender to Cederholm and Lisa Mann’s uncensored Mozart melodies through water inspiration and mud anxiety.
There are no actors, simply characters who embody the wonderment of Mozart’s world undone. Musicians take centre stage, encouraged by a set designed to thrill and tantalise. Mozart Undone is a deconstructed, dynamic and dramatic interpretation of 30 classic Mozart works, inviting the audience to experience a new interpretation of Mozart – not only relive a favourite piece, but also rediscover a master.
From the water and mud, performers writhe and rise as painted spectres fuelled by immense sounds to deliver a truly explosive experience. Performers cavort through Anja Gaardbo’s choreography in bathtubs, cascades of water and mud, illuminated and created through costumes, make-up and clouds of white powder to create this grotesque 1700 landscape.
Through the use of a tonne of water per performance, Cederholm delights in this metaphor for beauty, serenity and simultaneously the inherent threat it presents, particularly with electronic equipment and technology. This underlying sense of urgency manifests itself in the physical presence of the performers.
Co-produced by Betty Nansen Theatre (Denmark), Aarhus Theatre (Denmark) and Rogaland Theatre (Norway). With the support of the Embassy of Denmark in London and the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation, Copenhagen
25 February – 1 March 2014 at the Barbican Centre. Box Office: 020 7638 8891
