Pier Carthew, Jing-Xuan Chan, Terry Yeboah are the three actors who inhabit the theatre space. They start the performance covered and seated, gradually revealing themselves, along with their insecurities and desires, through a seemingly endless stream of questions and ideas. The questions come fast and many, from flippant commentary to absurd ponderings and articulate all the unshakeable niggling fears in between. There is a dreamlike quality to the performances which is enhanced by a concurrent cinematic exploration of the actors’ physical bodies.
Conceptually it is interesting and attempts to uncover some of the uglier thoughts that lurk within the human psyche. It questions the arbitrariness of our aesthetic values, while acknowledging that we are inexorably tied to our physical form. But while the onslaught of questions threaten to overwhelm, few answers are provided. Though perhaps fitting, it is not comforting. At times it felt a little like an intense live action portrayal of a hypochondriac’s Google search history.
The moments that resonated most strongly were those that were less abstracted and more anecdotal. These offered the most accessible insights into real experiences and human interactions. This is Beautiful is undoubtedly finely crafted and yes, at times, weirdly beautiful to watch. It is short, dense and intense. But while intelligent and strangely alluring it does not quite manage to delve below its own shiny exterior.
