Fresh off the tail of their Broadway debut, Tel Aviv-based theatrical company Mayumana are coming to Melbourne with momentum.
Fresh off the tail of their Broadway debut, Tel Aviv-based theatrical company Mayumana are coming to Melbourne with momentum. Not just a pun, it’s also the name of the company’s latest tour spectacular. Momentum promises to be a multimedia performance rich in sound, colour and movement – not to mention trigger activated sound and light effects, light sensors that activate sound systems, live sampling and synchronized video segments, touch screens, and live 3D depth-sensing technology. Try saying that again three times fast.
In the fashion of international theatrical successes such as Stomp and the Blue Man Group, Mayumana has taken its performance art to the next level and into our new decade with its list of impressive, interactive technologies. The old-fashioned notion that performer and audience are distinct, or that technology doesn’t play as large a role as cast members do in a performance, has been completely thrown out the window in the case of Momentum. Mayumana is an unconventional troupe as diverse in its disciplines as its cast members – who hail from over 32 different countries across the globe, including Melbourne’s own Spike Levy – and audiences members in attendance are sure to be just as diverse.
What also sets Momentum apart from other somewhat similar shows is that the style of the performance is fresh and the content is as current as it gets. One of the shows creators, Eylon Nuphar, has stressed the importance of creative freedom and promoting no boundaries in the arts in our new millennium. As a matter-of-fact, in the world of Momentum, all of the shows elements are connected.
“Time and rhythm have always been connected,” Nuphar says when asked to explain the driving force behind Momentum. “In fact, time is rhythm, and therefore the idea of taking it as a guideline came natural for us. In all of our shows we use frames to construct and help us work as our own ‘rules’ of creation. ‘Frames of time’ became one of the main ideas. On top of this it has been time that allowed us to gather our mutual experience as a company, as a creating team and as friends.”
Watching the three minute show ‘trailer’ on Youtube is certainly not enough time to leave you satisfied. It is appropriate to find time as a major theme in the performance because punters are sure to find theirs well spent.
Says Nuphar, “We translate the theme through set, props, video images and sounds. From clocks ticking, rewinding, sand clocks revolving as part of the scenery and personal clocks that the performers have on them throughout the show. There are images that are connected to ‘time’ such as a verbal beat-box dialog with a projected clock, video with sound, sound with movement, video with movement, movement with music, music with time. It is being constantly synchronized.”
Jersey Boys producer Rodney Rigby has described the show as “an astonishing evening of high-energy rhythms, dance and fantastic humour that transcends any age and is sure to get you up onto your feet.” Because the show is interactive on so many levels, you wouldn’t be surprised to find people next to you dancing – or as part of the performance! What’s more, following the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the group is set to keep the Autumn mood light with good humour. Since the company’s creation in 1996, Mayumana has used comedy as a major tool in connecting with its audiences, now totalling over five million people in 70 major cities across the world. And at this rate – Momentum is showing no signs of slowing.
Momentum happens at The Palais Theatre from June 14 for eight shows only, so book now through ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 723 038. For more info head to momentumtour.com.au.
