Sometimes everything in the garden is lovely. This is one of those times. Songs from the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds', texts by Gertrude Stein, Japanese Koto and a Theremin (one of my favourite musical instruments - coincidentally the second show I've seen this month featuring one, the other being High Spin's collaboration with Rose English, Electric Bouquet"). And not just sounds but visions: three female performers - small, medium and tall-Wear lovely wigs and make lovely shapes. They play with all they find, dance with their own shadows, wander through the landscape like star-struck children.
There are doors and dustbins and swinging pendulums - and a city made of big cardboard cut-outs. And lights - sweeps of colour that take over the whole Barbican stage; great backdrops of light filling the space with moving waves and pulses or with a still geometric form. Costumes are a Bauhaus fantasy-skirts that are a soft circular swirl or a rigid hooped sculpted cage, paper boilersuits, A line overcoats. Heiner Goebels is the director, Klaus Grunberg the scenographer. But perhaps architects would be a more appropriate description.
For ninety minutes they build a palace of dreams. There is no need to understand', just to feel and enjoy. Analysis seems redundant. Beauty is truth. Listen, listen, listen. Don't talk. Close your eyes and be still. Wouldn't it be nice?