Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Quim Giron

Humanity’s relationship with the animal kingdom has often been questioned many times since we, as species, first took to the practice of farming. By rearing these animals as a food source then breeding, studying and at times corrupting the very nature of that relationship by using science in the laboratory, that association has become one of dominance and at times sheer brutality. It is that hybrid dance between human and animal which makes for great physical theatre and at times the sense of the uncomfortable at this year’s Physical Fest at the Unity Theatre in Indomador: Animal Religion.

The boundaries between human and animal are minute when it comes down the very complex structure of D.N.A., the bonds that bind us as creatures are far more intricate than diverse and the only true separation is how we have been able to place our emotions, fears, desires and view point into how we learned to communicate.

The world of Physical Theatre can arguably be viewed in the very same way, one that is heightened by the difference in communication, the way the story or the production proceeds by its very core essence of exchanging the interaction between actor and audience member.

In Indomador: Animal Religion that essence of communication is turned up several notches as Quim Giron plays with the notion of beast and human, man and woman and how they can be intertwined. The viewpoint of the chicken, cow and pig are mixed with fine artistry and tremendous acrobatic endeavour are placed alongside the use of the whip, not so much as a weapon of control, but more of a side arm of expression and the asking of the audience to step into both the shoes of another creature and the mind of another soul.

Quim Giron’s very presence on stage is such that at times that relationship is taken into areas perhaps that had been un-thought of as the crowd inside the Unity Theatre had settled down to take in the latest works of genuine art in the Physical Fest week of programmes. The comfortable cosy world of theatre and the wonderful bumpy unexpected ride that comes with the physical art form perhaps seen as an animalistic rite of passage in itself, all combining in this one show to bring out the beast in man.

A rich balance of unspoken story-telling, sheer unrelenting passion and the exposure of what it means to be human. A Kaleidoscope of human fortitude and enterprise, Indomador: Animal Religion has to be seen to be appreciated for what it is, true physical theatre.

Ian D. Hall