REVIEW: Rewind by Ephemeral Ensemble at New Diorama Theatre 30 Jan – 10 Feb

'While Rewind can bring to life the feelings of living under a dictatorship—sorrow, rage, fear—the political details remain bareboned.‘ ★★★ ½

In the 1970s and 80s, Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship that “disappeared” up to 30,000 protesters, unionists, students and other perceived threats to the regime. Most of their exact fates were unknown, their families and friends left in limbo. Enter the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team: a group of scientists determined to identify the remains of as many victims as possible.

That’s the historical basis for Rewind, an experimental collage about the importance of not forgetting. “A people with memory is democracy forever,” a performer explains. By telling the story of a grieving mother searching for answers about her daughter’s death, Rewind aims to vividly imprint the atrocities of the past on its audience’s minds.

And “vivid” accurately applies to so much of this show:  Ephemeral Ensemble have devised some truly stunning visuals.  An empty shirt and glowing hat, floating through space—trickling water turning red, a wash of blood across a victim’s photograph—a wall of boxes spun around to reveal the faces of those people whose stories were not told that night. Director Ramon Ayres here makes excellent use of his ensemble’s diverse skillset, with Josephine Tremmelling’s lighting design often taking a starring role. Every effect is manual, from the fairylights strung around the stage to the old-fashioned projector she skillfully manipulates to layer everything from rainbow patterns to mass graves across the walls.

The show kicks off with a casual introduction, house lights still ablaze as a performer (Andres Valesquez) wanders on to explain that the evening is about an Argentinian story, told by an international ensemble. Colombia, Brazil, Iceland—then “not British, not now,” as the UK performers enter to sheepish laughter. This is an intimate start in theory, but it robs the beginning of oomph and energy, and spoken words make very little reappearance. The following 50 minutes are largely a mix of choreographies, puppetry and music. Alex Paton, with his dizzying arraying of instruments, takes the lead on the musical side and—in the show’s weaker moments—is what holds it all together. The choreographies vary the most in quality, concepts (such as rewinding time) often repeated and stretched with too little variation to remain interesting. Were the music less good, the thread would drop a few times between scenes.

The abstract format also means that while Rewind can bring to life the feelings of living under a dictatorship—sorrow, rage, fear—the political details remain bareboned. We see many protests, but never hear what exactly they’re protesting for. Thankfully, Eyglo Belafonte’s powerful silence as the grieving mother firmly roots the core story.

Overall, this is vital history told by an inventive and passionate company—one that clearly knows how to pull together as a group while making stellar use of each member’s individual strengths.

Box Office: Rewind | Whats On | New Diorama

Devised by: The Company

Directed by: Ramon Ayres

Cast: Alex Paton, Andres Valesquez, Eyglo Belafonte, Josephine Tremmelling, Louise Willcox

Co-Devisers: Alex Paton, Andres Valesquez, Josephine Tremmelling, Louise Willcox, Pepa Duarte Ramon Ayres

Lighting Design: Josephine Tremmelling

Music and Sound Composition: Ramon Ayres

Set, Props & Costume: The Company

Dramaturgy Assistance: Amy McAllister, Lou Cope

Research Supprt: Professor Alison Ribeiro de Menenzes, Postdoctoral researcher Marije Hristova

Production: Ephemeral Ensemble in collaboration with Professor Alison Ribeiro de Menenzes

Reviewed by Anna Clart