Reviewed by Regina Su
From
September the 15th until October the 20th, The Ensemble
Theatre, Kirribilli presents A Picasso,
a powerful performance based on the famous artist Pablo Picasso. The play is
very well constructed, a solid hour and a half of fluid ideas which are, not
necessarily predictable, rather take the audience on a manageable flow of
history, information and ideas. This journey twists and turns through Picasso’s
life, context and motives for painting and is in turn, a very memorable history
lesson. For audience members with a limited knowledge of the artist, A Picasso fills in the gaps and teaches
assuming no prior knowledge. Even so, due to the nature of this famous artist
and his works, there is a certain level of relativity as the audience can
easily connect to such a familiar subject. The target audience seems to be
those of an older generation due to the content matter and context of WWII and
associated socio-political climates. Furthermore, two actors hold our attention
and command the stage for the entire performance with dynamic moments of humour
and tense drama. These actors execute their roles with such a natural flair and
a powerful passion. This is an absolute must see, teaching us about history and
the nature of art as a human expression.
For
further information, please see: http://ensemble.com.au/whats-on/play/a-picasso/