Sealskin is based on a fable about a group of Selkies who appear at every full moon, they peel away their skin and dance. One evening a fisherman steals the skin of one of the Selkies and takes her home. The story is about the events that follow.
The piece is devised by Tmesis Theatre and directed by Elinor Randle. A creative thought provoking, mystical tale that really is a must see.
A talented, skilful, energetic ensemble cast including Stephanie Greer, Samual Perez Duran and Valentine Ojochegbe Onogu who have all truly mastered their craft.
The striking red head Faye McCutcheon plays the leading Selkie, injecting a mermaid likeness to the role and taking us with her on her journey learning the human ways.
A stand out performance as the mother of the fisherman, an elderly Portuguese lady by Mariana Pires. She trully embodied the character and was believable as a lady easily three times her age. The physicality seemed like second nature to Pires a Portuguese native.
The team display such an incredible chemistry and craftsmanship, every relationship and connection feels organic.
Clever use of props, lighting, projections, Interpretative movement and choreographed sequences throughout.
Music composed and performed live by me + deboe. The musical score was perfectly crafted to fit the tale, both great musicians and vocalists. Honestly in parts I did find the visual of the musicians on stage slightly distracting from the action and story, this is not to take away from their skill and talent, I just would’ve personally preferred them to be off stage or pre- recorded for this show.
The piece is mainly physical theatre but does include a little dialogue, this is partly in Spanish and Portuguese, I luckily understood pretty much all of it, however my nephew didn’t and asked me a couple of times for translations. I think the physicality of this piece is such that you know what is going on regardless of the text.
I’m going to be 100% honest, ordinarily I wouldn’t book to watch a piece of physical theatre. I’m far more likely to book a musical, or a play that I am familiar with. That being said, I really enjoyed the show and so I may have been converted. I can’t recommend this group and this innovative piece enough. You need to see it! A fine balance of comedy, tragedy and emotion.
The performance began at 7.30pm and lasted around 65 minutes and ran without an interval.
While this was the only performance at this venue, the tour has various venues and dates for more info visit: www.tmesistheatre.com
Reviewer: Rebecca Casey
Reviewed: 23rd October 2024
North West End UK Rating: