Created by Tobias Wegner with the German ensemble Circle of Eleven, Leo relates the follies and forbearance of humankind in a world gone topsy-turvy. Leo, played by Wegner, is locked in a cube-like room where the force of gravity shifts his world by 90 degrees. The audience sees both Leo’s live performance, and his altered, gravity-defying appearance, projected on screen. The magic of this fantasy-land works because Leo’s real, physical relationship to the screen world, is just as clear as his relationship to the real world.
Premiering at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe, where the show won three awards, the story is told without the need for any dialogue. We watch in wonder, as Leo explores his new and confusing world with deft physical adjustments and arduous balances, realising that life is definitely a matter of perspective! The elements of technology and creative performance add up to a magically enchanting show, and just when the audience thinks it can’t get any better, Leo amazes yet more by introducing CGI effects that only we can see, but with which he interacts perfectly!
While exploring his illusory world, he draws various images which are then illuminated and animated, taking on a life of their own and adding to the magical spirit of the show. The fluid grace of this performance is a lesson in the art of seeing double!
Leo is without doubt a show not to be missed and one to amuse and delightfully baffle the whole family.
An unusual adaptation of ‘The Merchant of Venice’
PRESENTED by the British Council and the British Embassy, this interesting and unusual musical adaptation of a Shakespearean masterpiece features the Paradise Players.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Led by UK-based composer and performer Juwon Ogungbe, this innovative musical theatre adaptation of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is performed by a talented ensemble who sing, act and play instruments, in a unique and visionary form of contemporary singing theatre.
Ogungbe, who has composed the music, mainly to Shakespeare’s language, is co-directing this production with Teddy Mangawa — a talented emerging Zimbabwean theatre maker.
The ensemble features several new names and faces to watch from Harare’s vibrant music and theatre scenes and this altogether different production of this much-loved and performed work by Shakespeare draws inspiration from Ethiopian Orthodox Christian and Rastafarian rituals to create a groundbreaking fusion of cultures and settings. This will surely delight Hifa audiences with its originality!
