The Argus: Brighton Festival ThumbWatching a performance sung in a completely made-up language may sound like a daunting concept. But within minutes of El Gallo beginning it was easy for audience members to forget they didn’t understand the words being spoken.

The cast of Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes were so expressive that it was clear to see what was happening, regardless of the language.

Based on a real event, the “opera for actors” told of a group of performers trying to learn a difficult piece of music. As the show progressed, personal stories came to light, from the terrified woman who could barely sing because of nerves to the over-confident performer determined to show off her talents at every opportunity.

The piece became darker as nerves were stretched, tantrums were thrown and the singers were pushed to their absolute limits. After the yelling and the fighting came the calm as the singers finally took to the stage for their big performance which, even then, didn’t manage to go ahead without a hitch.

Accompanied by outstanding music from the Ligeti and Hillman String Quartets, this was a show that proved that actions really do speak louder than words.