THEATRE – Amber – Her Majesty’s – 3.5K

media-amber-2By Peter Maddern

Gao, a playboy, wakes in hospital with a new heart and is immediately tended to by a nurse that falls in love with that heart but not his head. This confounding dilemma sits, dare I say it, at the heart of this flash Chinese production by acclaimed director Meng Jinghui.

More than just conventional theatre, Amber also combines dance and music that is sensationally lit – indeed the lighting may be the stand out feature of what otherwise may be considered a slightly over long production. Aided by sur/side titles (why can’t someone who knows English go through these before they get presented), the design is very much dominated by black and white, mostly the latter taking up the medical theme of the opening.

The plot is basic; a mix of love story and con tricks with equal dollops of home spun philosophy wrapped in but both the main actors carry it all with great confidence, dynamic in all facets of their performance.

This is exciting contemporary theatre that shakes up the norm for the Adelaide’s stages.

Kryztoff Rating 3.5K

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