La Fin des Terres (Lands End)

La Fin des Terres (Lands End)

Compagnie Philippe Genty

Kwai Tsing Theatre

Reviewed: Dec 29

Philippe Genty's latest work combines contemporary dance with puppetry, mime and illusion, showcasing performances by seven dancers as well as special lighting and a set full of trap doors.

Directed by Genty and Mary Underwood, the 90-minute movement piece begins like a magic show: what seems to be a flower bouquet turns into a woman; a glove and a cardboard figure suddenly spring to life.

Genty says La Fin des Terres, which roughly translates to where the world ends, follows one man's journey to the inner world of a woman that is filled with love and conflict. It focuses more on how directors present this psychological labyrinth on stage than using a physical narrative to tell a story -

for there is none to tell.

The remainder is a sequence of fragmented and disjointed 'happenings' that draws the audience into a dreamy and absurd realm of surrealism and symbolism.

Genty is a master of make-believe who manipulates the stage to effectively create a world that delights and repulses in equal measure. However, the lack

of a compelling storyline makes

it monotonous at times and a few scenes fail to make an impression. But despite these shortcomings, La Fin des Terres is a stylised and stylistic work that still manages to capture the imagination.