Live Performance Review: I AM: Performed by MAU (Edinburgh International Festival (E.I.F.) 2014), Saturday 16.08.2014 20:00 The Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh

There was an odd start to this performance. I entered the venue to go to the row where my seat should be and the entire row was missing. I informed the usherette, who after initially trying to pretend Row N was Row M, sent for the manager. The manager came and confirmed I had no seat and said he would just get one for me. Now to give them their dues, I was expecting a shitey wee plastic affair, though the manager came back carrying a correct theatre seat and installed the single seat for me. I was a wee wobbly mind. I don't know why they bothered, as it turned out there was plenty of spare seats round about (and more became available as the performance wore on). Not that I was going to try and get to a seat with a better view, after I had my very own installed. 

The performance is classed under dance. I think it is more apt to call this music & movement, sadly of the worst kind. Or should that be noise & movement, there was no music just industrial noise mixed in with other sound elements. 

Now the terms 'noise' and 'music & movement', I don't automatically use these terms in a derisory fashion, just here. I termed 'Hora' (2012) by the Batshiva dance company as 'music & movement' yet I could not have been more complementary. Industrial noise is an element I enjoy about some other performances and mediums as well as classing myself as a fan of David Lynch's work. So in the broadest possible terms, this could have worked for me. 

In terms of describing the piece itself, while watching it I thought of David Lynch and in particular his films 'Eraserhead' (1977) & 'Mullholland Drive' (2001), both in terms of movement and roles within performance and in terms of the soundscape. Sadly the entire piece felt very austere and abrasive. There was nothing lush to counterbalance the severity, a trick that Mr. Lynch always used so well. 

The far greater issue I have with the entire piece is the pace. the entire piece felt overly stretched. There were passages where some performers were moving to a more upbeat tempo, yet though-out the whole piece there was always one or more performers going at a painfully slow rate across the stage; this secondary permanent slow tempo was more or less maintained across the entire show. I have not the scoobiest as to what the slow pace was meant to represent, though it is this element that caused it to be a relief when the whole piece was done. I know it is not as straightforward as to say, why could they not have just gone twice the rate and be done in half the time. Though surely they could have 'represented' something by mixing up the tempo somewhat. Mixed within the performances were passages where an artiste was, for one example, doing a slow version of what appeared to be the New Zealand Haka. I feel the likes of this would also have benefited from a greater mix of tempos.

This one I will mark up to experience and it does get some points as I did like the overall tone and sounds. Just know when to gie it a rest.

Rating: 04/10.