Presented by The Chants Collective
@ The Adelaide Gaol
WEDNESDAY 29 February
Heading to the old Adelaide gaol on the last day of summer, on leap day, in the dark of the night – a recipe for the ultimate creepy night out. Rain was spitting down on our faces as we made our way through the gates of the gaol, old stone walls and wrought iron gates dripping with water, like the start of a good horror movie.
Like all good horror movies, it began with a man in a waistcoat. A very well spoken man, who could only be described as a gentleman, welcomed us, and we were soon to find out he was the director, Bryce Ives. After just enough time to soak up our surroundings outside the gaol and wonder what on earth we were about to get ourselves into, we were led through a somewhat claustrophobic stone doorway, and through into the gaol exercise yard.
An entirely sensory experience, it is your taste that is initially played on, handed an intriguing glass of blood-like liquid on arrival. Sight and sound is confronted next, with candles and lanterns illuminating the path before you, and acoustic music echoing throughout the eerie space.
We suddenly found ourselves in an expansive area surrounded by towering stone walls, rain-soaked grass underfoot…the only sound was our squelchy footsteps and a lone piano, played by a man sporting a smart butler-style suit, singing, as if to himself. A few empty chairs illuminated by candles, are dotted about the place. Very peculiar; it fitted the mood perfectly.
Director Bryce introduces himself to the audience in the courtyard, instructing us to get involved and remember that the experience is up to us. And this is where touch comes in, as we are told not to be afraid to get up close and personal with the performers.
“Modern theatre is really dull,” says Bryce, “you have to tell the audience everything these days.” Chants Des Catacombs is unlike anything this reviewer has ever experienced, placing the audience directly inside the action. Bryce explains that each night is different, due to the different audiences. “By attending Chants, you are now an integral part of the work,” he says.
Not only is the experience the result of a collaboration between audience and cast, but also within the whole production team itself. Bryce describes Chants Des Catacombs as a “collaboration” both between the performers, lighting technicians, musicians and director. “You will notice there is no credited writer, designer, performer or director,” he says, “Each collaborating artist is equally integral to the development, shaping, breadth and width of this performance tonight.”
This macabre cabaret details the lives and ultimate murders of three very different women. A showgirl (Anna McDonald), a gender-bending surgeon (Laura Burzacott) and a courtesan (Anna Boulic) make up the main trio, each with their own story to tell, each in a different part of the spooky, low-lit gaol. We, the audience, follow them as they run in and out of rooms, hither and dither, singing, dancing and musing.
It is not all music and dance, and there is also a mixture of captivating monologues and exceptional theatre. This makes, at times, for a somewhat confusing viewing experience, as the cast take you on a roller coaster of emotions – passion, fear, hatred, and love, in a variety of performance genres. But like all good roller coasters, while you are perpetually scared, often confused and bewildered by the twists and turns it takes you on, you are also left with that unbeatable windswept feeling that always has you wanting more. You don’t know why, you just do.
But it is the location that really makes this show. “Spaces mean everything to me,” says Bryce, “I should have been an architect or something,” he laughs. “I specialize in ‘on location’ theatre because I hate being in spaces that haven’t been thought through – a blank canvas.” You don’t have to believe in ghosts to get the creeps in the old gaol, the ideal location for this macabre, whirlwind piece of captivating theatre. But watch Chants Des Catacombes, and you might just change your mind.
