The curtain has risen on Hideki Noda's latest theatrical odyssey, '-320°F', and it's a whirlwind ride that will leave you breathless! This zany waltz through time, ethics, and human existence is a fantastical fusion of satire, drama, and visual spectacle, promising audiences an unforgettable experience at Sadler's Wells in London. The ambitious production reimagines the Tower of Babel as a skyscraper reaching for the heavens, setting the stage for a mind-bending journey that careens through history from dinosaurs to biotech futurism.
The play hurtles forward like a runaway train, traversing vast historical periods with reckless abandon. At its centre is Help, a D/deaf protagonist whose bones are connected to ancient fossilised remains through bone conduction, a concept that raises the stakes for time travel and medical discovery. The plot is a dizzying jumble of iconic figures, from Cleopatra's icy eggs to Mephisto and Faust, not to mention the Pied Piper of Hamelin – it's a veritable hall of mirrors where past, present, and future collide.
Noda takes centre stage as a researcher navigating the treacherous waters of gene science, wrestling with the moral implications of eradicating disease. The production is sparked by the 2016 Sagamihara care home massacre, a tragedy that still haunts Japan. Help's 'Back to the Future'-style quest for connections with ancestral bones drives the narrative forward, but it's not just about the journey – it's also about the ultimate goal: creating the perfect human.
The visual feast on display is nothing short of dazzling. Yukio Horio's set design is a masterclass in dynamic entrances and exits, while Taiki Ueda's projection design whisks audiences away to high-rise buildings and time-bending frequencies. Shigehiro Ide's choreography is a marvel of physical theatre, from dancing bananas to dinosaur bones – it's a true spectacle that will leave you gasping for breath.
But with great ambition comes great challenge. At times, the production's earnest message gets lost in its own irreverent tone, clashing with the earlier playful satire. The two-hour performance, presented without an interval, can feel overwhelming – but it's a small price to pay for the sheer audacity of Noda's vision. You'll be left feeling like you've stumbled into the 'zany Tardis' of his imagination, a testament to the production's unique blend of creativity and chaos.
Source: The Guardian