Blackouts: Twilight of the Idols was a surreal and beautiful exploration of the interplay between past and present.
Accomplished performer Dickie Beau created echoes of his future self, underscored with thoughts of death and fame.
The production was built around found sounds – primarily recordings of Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland in the last days of their lives.
The drag artist convention of using lip synching to assume different personas was taken to a darker, more mysterious expression as Dickie Beau performed behind the gauze; his physicality connected to the voices he was channelling.
The piece examined how popular idols are moulded, understood and appropriated for our own needs by creating his own extreme and beautiful interpretations – Marilyn appeared with tattooed arms and Judy was dressed as a red Wicked Witch of the East.
The clever use of monochrome projections onto a black gauze which covered the stage created an ethereal second presence onstage.
It dwarfed Dickie Beau and infused the performance with a heightened sense of scale, which is often difficult to achieve with a solo show.
Blackouts was a haunting piece of theatre - superbly executed and absorbing from beginning to end.
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