Leodo: Paradise Lost
C venues - C (Venue 34)
15:35 / 1 hour
Reviewed on Thursday 7th August 2014
★★★
Leodo: Paradise Lost is a beautiful Korean show featuring traditional and contemporary drumming, singing, dancing and movement. A strong ensemble take us on a journey to Leodo, a fantasy island and artistic nirvana, treasured by the people in the Jeju-do province.
The piece opens with a projection of the sea and we hear the sounds of the waves as we watch the lead girl walking towards it. The show is very visual with lots of projected narrative to help us understand where we are journeying to and why. We learn that Leodo is a place where there is no more sorrow or hunger - only joy.
As we follow the stunning movements and dancing of our lead girl, we hear drumming and percussion as well as earthly Korean vocals. All these forms combine together to create a powerful and visual piece of theatre. We experience the sorrows and joys of life through the intensity of the dancing, drumming and singing.
The drumming is incredible but, at times, overwhelming. There is an intense hypnotic effect which runs risk of losing the attention of the audience. However, a huge moment in the show comes when an ensemble member has a dance solo; she dances and plays her drums at an incredible speed and precision. She had the audience shouting and applauding, breaking the hypnotic effect of the drumming.
This piece is a magical cultural spectacle, reflecting something typical and almost mystical about this Korean ensemble. Recommended for everyone, there seemed to be a mix of people of all ages. Leodo: Paradise Lost is definitely a piece worth seeing if you fancy something a little different.
Reviewed by Deborah Hargreaves
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