Performance “Beginnings” (Patty Gideon Sloan) at Rakvere Theater.
Director and set-designer: Nils Riess (USA).
Sound and light design: Tyson Miller and Jacob Novak (USA).
I have to admit, I don’t often find myself at Rakvere Theatre. Although it was Rakvere Theatre that put on the show that created my first theatre memory from childhood as well as two performances done with our Nordic neighbours, it is a rather uncharted territory for me. “Beginnings” for me, too, became a sort of beginning of getting to know the theatre.
The performance didn’t leave a significant impression on me, nor my thoughts or how I felt afterwards, neither did it inspire new ideas. What I saw on stage for me remained an effort to impress the audience or shake someone’s world. Perhaps it is just my inability to understand the author’s thoughts – it could very well be.
The performance presented the story of how the world began, with a touch of humour. I smiled once or twice, but that was the most emotions I experienced at the show. It was very interesting to observe Mait Joorits getting into character; he and Natali Lohk made up a dynamic duo, but they tended to outshadow the Creator of everything, portrayed by Eduard Salmistu. The latter lacked the powerful presence needed to control the whole world and in my eyes he seemed to have gotten stuck in the clogs of time himself.
The performance consisted of numerous different scenes, which made up a whole but offered nothing new. Everything seemed slow and weak; all that was said seemed like it has already been said many times before by life. I had no other choice than to just enjoy the performance of the young actors’ duo, and the movement of light between important and less important.
For me “Beginnings” was like the start of visits to Rakvere Theatre that didn’t involve too many positive emotions. Despite the lack of so-called new thought, I had a chance to enjoy the actor’s presence and innovative solutions. I also hope that perhaps it is just this particular performance that didn’t suit me. This, in turn, is a good start, because it increases the chance of me liking the next Rakvere Theatre shows. “Beginnings” failed to make me lose interest in the theatre.
