last month i had the absolute pleasure of travelling to berlin, to attend the opening night of finalé the show, at a gorgeous art deco playhouse near the centre of berlin, the chamaleon theatre. i was among a group of theatre and travel bloggers from around europe, many who had been along to the chamaleon to see physical theatre group analog perform many times before; though for me, it was a first. i wasn't entirely sure what to expect from the "new circus" performers (no animals, more comedy, and much more energy), but i was promised a good time and a fun experience, and i am all about those two things. we arrived at the gorgeous theatre moments before the curtain call, grabbed our drinks, and settled in for the opening night of finalé.
the show began with a bang, and never really dipped in energy from there. the performers themselves have come together from all across europe (and one special guest by way of the usa), so a lot of the show is in german, or heavily accented english, but despite this it's never hard to know what's going on on stage. mostly because the majority of finalé is physical. from aerial acts to beautifully composed and performed mucical numbers, to incredible feats of body strength and co-ordination, the whole show had me sat on the edge of my carefully placed seat.the absolute highlight for me was the phenomenal ena wild, whose eclectic and outrageous outfit changes had me - at times, more interested in what she would be wearing next than what her crew mates were risking their life and limbs for on stage. she and her partner lukas thielecke composed and performed each musical number together, and honestly, their chemistry on stage is undeniable. but mostly, i was there eyeballing her outfits. and hats. a different, crazy hat for each act. honestly, just amazing.
before finalé i hadn't really seen much physical theatre; theatre that's almost wordless, that tells a story through actions over dialogue; that is so mesmerising from start to finish that time gets away from you and you're left in awe as the final curtain drops and the last of the confetti falls to the floor. i haven't been that captivated by a show in such a long time, where my stomach sits in my throat from start to finish, completely convinced that the ribbon will rip and the aerial performer will fall from the rafters. i haven't really branched out from my "standard" concept of theatre in such a long time, that i'm desperate now to just get more of that naturally warm, and honestly fun sort of performance in my life.a huge thanks to chamaleon theatre for having me, and for introducing me to the group of performers known as 'analog'. while i was a guest of the theatre's, all views are my own (though some images are amanda's! read her review here.)
