In the art world retrospectives are a common signpost of stature, marking an entrance into the pantheon of creative elders. They also provide an opportunity for the public to reflect and analyse on the creative development of those that have 'made it'. Theatre rarely gets this opportunity. Few companies are able to stay intact that long.
One of those that have, is the French Decroux-inspired Théâtre du Mouvement. Now in their twenty-second year with over twenty shows to their name, the company well deserves a retrospective. And they are in an almost unique position to provide one – although it expanded in 1983 the core of the company remains the same. Performers Claire Heggen and Yves Marc are still in the artistic driving seat.
The company chose to represent their body of work by collating a series of excerpts from their shows. Each excerpt represented a defining theatrical moment in their development. Together they reflected the flow of time, emphasising the traces left by movement and energy and the way that we learn and adapt with technique. This was also a unique account of the modern era in mime.
But there were problems. For the uninitiated it was a difficult and inaccessible show. It's hard to be captivated by excerpts, harder still to watch once innovatory pieces which are now dated. Interestingly the piece that really came to life was the last and most recent work. An important and often beautiful retrospective then, but one for practitioners.