Review: A TALE OF TWO CITIES, Lost Dog Dance - The Lowry

Photo credit: Camilla Greenwell

In a creative reimagined rendition of Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, theatre company Lost Dog use their blended contemporary dance and theatre performance style to bring their re-telling of this classic story to life.  Whether you’re familiar with this Dickens tale or have never read the novel in your life, this production is certainly worth a watch.

A story was originally set in the late 18th century, whereas Lost Dog’s version is set in the 21st century when Lucie Manette (the younger) is creating a documentary of her family to help her discover the truth about her parents’ lives and the daring escape of Paris that traumatised Lucie as a young girl, an event that she only faintly remembers.  Using her family to re-stage the events from her parents’ lives for her documentary, Lucie is able to confront her past, but this also means she must learn some unnerving truths.

Led by director Ben Duke, this production has been collaboratively devised by the company and together they have created a theatrical masterpiece.  The plot is told in a non-linear fashion which makes each part of the story seem like jigsaw pieces being put together to fill in the gaps and complete the puzzle of Lucie’s family history.  Throughout the performance, acted scenes are intertwined with sections of contemporary dance to add more depth to the emotional aspects of the story; the cast comprises of Hannes Langolf, John Kendall, Nina-Morgane Madelaine, Temitope Ajose-Cutting, and Valentina Formenti, each showcasing their talent as both actors and dancers.  Every single moment of the performance when a part of the narrative is expanded on through dance, whether it is performed by one person or multiple cast members, is utterly captivating.

One stand-out aspect of this production that makes it a more unique theatrical experience is its use of multimedia.  Much of the action onstage is recorded live by the cast as they film Lucie’s documentary, and the live footage is both streamed at the side of the stage onscreen and projected onto the set above the actors.  The set for the performance is fairly minimal, but some of it is shielded by the exterior walls of the house; blocking the audience’s view of the actors for much of the show may seem like a strange approach, but it actually makes it all the more intriguing to watch as the cameras capture the action from inside the four walls to project onto the set above.  Presenting the drama in this unconventional way allows the audience to feel like they are getting an exclusive look into the history of Lucie’s family, which has been a protected secret for many years hidden behind the walls her parents have put up.  Amber Vandenhoeck, Will Duke and the rest of the creative team are a real asset to the production for their work on set, projection design and videography.

A modern re-telling of Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities combines powerful acting, beautiful contemporary dance, and innovative technical design to create a truly bewitching production from the cast and creatives at Lost Dog.  Some may even say that this rendition of A Tale of Two Cities is among the “crème de la crème” of the theatre world.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway

A Tale of Two Cities plays at the Lowry until 16 March, and tours until 24 May. For more information and to book tickets, please click here.