XCODE. By The Outlore. 80 Hout Street.
MEGAN CHORITZ was there
In quite the opposite of the quote “abandon hope all ye who enter here” from Dante’s Divine Comedy, hope was actually found tonight, on the second floor of an unremarkable building in Hout Street, Cape Town. Hope was restored to me, by Xcode, and I was reminded how live theatre can (and must) be powerfully transformative.
80 Hout Street is where Xcode is performed, and I was lucky enough to witness this totally original, young, intriguing, visual, strange, and utterly mesmerising immersive dance theatre piece.
What is an empty warehouse space has been divided up and separated by dividers covered in shiny pink paper. Lights play tricks on walls and polystyrene blobs. A business deal turns dark and dangerous, and AI becomes unreliable and problematic. Brilliant choreography, styling, music, costume, staging and performances keep the audience on their toes as we moved from space to space to follow the unfolding of the story, which is complex, futuristic and edgy.
Immersive theatre
Writer and director Kimberly Buckle is really onto something here, and she is wonderfully supported by an amazing cast, and choreographer Liam Tamejen Gillespie. Creating immersive theatre where stuff happens simultaneously, in different parts of the space, and then shifts and changes like liquid mercury, must be like having ADHD and herding cats. But it really works. And it is very powerful and engaging. I had to stop myself from getting involved!
The brilliant ensemble are Matt Newman, Mikki George, Erin Gemmell, Liam Tamejen Gillespie, Tamsyn Dester, Gaetan ‘G-BOI’ Musungaie and Bethany Mclaglan-Evans.
There are a few seats available for shows next Thursday 27, Friday 28 and Saturday 29 April 2023. Go and be part of this fresh and fantastic new thing. Tickets are R150 and are available on Quicket.
What: Xcore
Where: 8 Hout Street, City Bowl
WS
