Dublin Fringe: The Tale of the Ancient Lights – review

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With no narration, this all-visual solo performance incorporates dance, juggling, magic, martial arts, and an assortment of LED lights to tell a tale of ancient Asian folklore. Riuchi, the alter-ego of performer Guillaume Cousson, shuffles on stage holding a lantern and wearing a conical hat with black gauze covering his face. He wobbles unsteadily like an elderly man as he enters a dusty old temple littered with glittering sand, where he appears to perform a ritual by reading an LED scroll, before he is transformed into a much younger man — perhaps his former self, or so his bodily expressions suggest. The remaining forty minutes consist of an elaborate sword fight, several intricately choreographed dance routines, and a number of clownish scenes, all involving Riuchi’s imaginative manipulation of a range of LED technology. Riuchi’s movements are at one moment calculated and precise, the next leisurely and graceful, as he variously exhibits balletic poise, circus skills (Cousson is the acting director to Cork Circus Factory) and goofy humour. The show is very funny at times, and Riuchi manages to be remarkably expressive, even when his face is almost entirely concealed by steampunk goggles and a cloth bandana. Although the show is undeniably visually stunning, it suffers from a lack of narrative coherence, or indeed a lack of any discernible narrative at all. The performance begins to drag, as there is nothing to tie each display together, ultimately preventing the audience from engaging with either the character or his tale. While viewers will undoubtedly enjoy the dazzling spectacle of the light show, the piece will likely leave them unsatisfied, wondering what exactly the “tale” of the ancient lights is.

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(photos via)

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