Ash Strain
Despite the vastness of the Assembly Roxy Upstairs space, N.Ormes is simple and intimate in its beauty. The two unnamed figures on stage do not speak a word, nor do they make elaborate use of prop or costume beyond the odd box or two or an extra layer of clothing. And yet, over the course of the hour-long performance, performers Agathe and Adrien provide us with a complex and nuanced insight into gender and societal expectation, as well as some truly astounding feats of strength and balance.
The show opens with what we might expect from a physical theatre performance in which one performer is a very tall man and the other is a comparatively petite woman: he provides a sturdy base, catching her as she throws herself expectantly into his arms, lifting her up onto his shoulders and letting her perform elaborate handstands on top of his head. When he sets her back down on the floor, she throws herself right back into his arms, and so the cycle continues, like clockwork.
That is, until the performer decides perhaps he doesn’t feel like being the one to catch his counterpart. Perhaps this time, he would like to be the one to jump into her arms. His partner, however, is somewhat unwilling to cooperate. After all, he’s bigger. He’s taller. He’s… well, he’s a he. And isn’t that the way things are meant to be? Isn’t that the norm?
It is this question, this conflict, that rests at the heart of the performance. Underscored and lit beautifully, the two performers spend the next hour exploring and bending their ‘roles’ through feats of strength and fragility alike. At one point, which I might consider the emotional climax of the show, their positions switch entirely, with the female figure providing a strong and steady base as her partner, awe-inspiringly, performs a one-handed handstand on top of her head. Through the exchange of costumes and choreography, the lines between man and woman and big and small and unstoppable force and immovable object begin to blur and reform and blur again, and by the conclusion of the performance, we are left wondering why such ‘roles’ ever existed in the first place, when the space between them is so small?
It’s difficult to describe N.Ormes in adequate detail since it is so dependent on a visual experience, but having been lucky enough to see the show last year, I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in physical theatre, circus and dance – and even those who normally wouldn’t be.
Emotional, athletic, and clearly a labour of love – N.Ormes thinks outside the box, and will have you doing the same.
Recommended Drink: Coffee, with a pinch more sugar than usual, to match the sweetened warmth the show is likely to leave you feeling.
You can catch N.Ormes until August 25th at Assembly Roxy – Upstairs at 17:15. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Box Office.
Jake Mace
Phoebe Bakker
