The Voyage – Birmingham Photo: Jas Sansi
Aerial artiste’s hanging from a ship, dance, music and 50 ft high. Out of this world I hear you say, unbelievable. Entertaining I say.
All I can say is wow. As I approach Victoria Square I’m stunned. Birmingham Town Hall and Birmingham Library have been taken over by a sea of people as well as what looks like scaffolding, a makeshift ship, music, lights, and, well, action. Welcome The Voyage; a Birmingham Hippodrome production with the creative teams Leamington Spa’s Motionhouse and Australia’s Legs on The Wall. The Voyage is an outdoor aerialist about the story of passengers aboard the HMS Olympia travelling between the continents.
I hadn’t counted on so many people being present and it was a fight to get a good spot, but after bantering my way through with security guards it was an incredible evening. With the Town Hall’s gospel choir providing the most lyrical harmonies to the action I was truly taken. It was the third night of The Voyage, which cleverly told the story of the liner crossing continents and the hurdles incurred, the differences of each continent told through dance and aerial choreography. Couples danced across the deck, performers were hanging from the ship’s side, hurling themselves around the set, falling from the sky in the most creative fashion, pirouetting and twisting to create shapes in the sky. If the performers didn’t win you over it was the impressive imagery. The Voyage is visually stunning with images of maps, clocks, the seas as well as a collage of eyes, set against the canvas that is the Town Hall and the ship. With a soundtrack to match the action The Voyage takes you out to sea, aboard the 50ft liner, enjoying the ride
What is most beautiful about The Voyage is the clear team-work that has gone into a production that defies gravity, it inspires unity and shows Birmingham what it has to offer the theatre and dance world. Catch the last one tonight!
The Voyage is a FREE event that runs between 21-24 June 2012 in Victoria Square.
Get there early to secure a great spot!
