What you read into and see in dance is very much about interpretation. Here is a piece where the mood is constantly shifting. What starts out as beautiful, gentle, caring and nurturing, turns into something frenetic and disturbing. So, what is at play? Why do we transition from calm to calamitous? Needs, wants and desires are the currency. At least, that is how I see it.
In the beginning, needs are simple and there is a quiet rhythm, but then cracks start to appear and they grow wider. Arguments erupt and turn physical. Dredge, to me, is all about exploitation of natural resources and consumerism at its worst. Along the way, it is about scoring the perfect date and then the perfect partner. Thereafter, it becomes a fight for survival.
There is much movement and physical exertion in the production. Choreographer Jessica Pascoe has worked most effectively with the eight strong cast. Transitions are frequent and seamless. The curious becomes the aggressive, laughter becomes the scream. On show is the greedy and the ugly, the fast and the frenzied, the drudgery and the grunt, the bewildered and the ethereal.
Music (the sound designer and composer is Jack Burmeister) and lighting (lighting design is by Tom Vulcan) play an integral part in the development of the work. They set the mood and the tone of the piece and do so very well. Musically, we have soft, crunching, ringing, tingling, loud and disconsonant, and more besides. Dredge is highly creative and evocative. I found it enormously satisfying. It transported me, which I dare say was its want. The performers do a fine job.
The movement is interspersed with sounds and cries of endeavour and occasionally utterances. What did concern me was that speech – little though there was – was often subjugated by the music. In other words, what was being said wasn’t clear. That wasn’t helped because of the way the stage was set, with patrons on each of two sides. If verbiage had been removed, that wouldn’t have been an issue. But, as it was, when a performer said something and was turned away from one side of the audience, it made it very hard to hear what they were saying.
That aside, Dredge generates a surfeit of feelings and does so with aplomb. Directed by Brandon Armstrong, it is playing at Theatre Works until 28th September, 2024.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- The Cave of Spleen (Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory) – theatre review
- 4 Seasons (Expressions/CCDC) – theatre review
- Matador, sabor de amor (Melbourne Fringe Festival) – theatre review
Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.