Harold in Italy

Sydney Sydney Theater Co., in association with The One Extra Co. presentation of a drama/ballet in two acts by Justin Fleming, wilh music by Hector Berlioz. Directed and choreographed by Richard Wherrett and Kai Tai Chan; sets, Brian Thomson; costumes, Terry Ryan; lighting, John Rayment; adaption of original scores, Max Lambert; dramaturgy, Wayne Harrison. Opened July 22, '89 at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theater; $A29 top
Harold...............................John O'May
Shequa..............................Miki Oikawa
Marius...............................Peter Carroll
Julia ..................................Sonia Todd
Paris................................Stuart Bennett
Susanna/Guide...............lsabelle Anderson
Luke...................................Garry Stewart
Man 1/Obstetrician/
Doctor of Science...................Garry Lester
Man 2/Veterinarian/
Museum Curator.................John Sinatore
Man 3/Artist/Violinist..........Romano Crivici

"Harold In Italy," a collaboration between a handful of Australia's finest theater craflsmen, is innovative, daring and visually mesmerizing. It has issues to contemplate, but resisting analysis and taking in an imaginative spectacle with fable-like moral undertones is the best way to approach the work.

Justin Fleming has invented a modern fairy tale, inspired by a 16th century sculpture and a piece of classical music by Berlioz. His central figure, Shequa, is a half-woman/half-horse, created in an explosion of electricity and light when the force from a laboratory experiment invades an art museum.

Action then shifts to a forest, where Shequa is hunted by the destructive forces embodied in one man obsessed with her. He is pitted against a student, the hero, a free spirit who wanders into the forest and wins Shequa's love with his humanity. They produce a horse-boy son, Shequa's bequest to the world before destructive forces make it no longer possible for her to exist.

Fleming's dialog is sparse and elevated, in a non-naturalistic presentation where dance is written into the script to convey more than words can. It is set to extracts from Berlioz' dramatic music, adapted lucidly by Max Lambert. Richard Wherrett and Kai Tai Chan bring to life Fleming's intent, and the verbal and non-verbal blend comfortably. Chan's choreography is particularly striking. He coaxes moving, fluid performances from actors not known as dancers, notably Sonia Todd as the hunter's daughter, and John O'May as the student. Dance becomes the ultimate body language, signifying hunger for power on one hand, and freedom on the other.

The star dancers, Miki Oikawa and Garry Stewart, convey the mix of equine and human superbly. Oikawa's Shequa. a beautiful performance in silence, is made more credible by Terry Ryan's evocative costume design.

A star in its own right is Brian Thomson's dazzling set — a giant prism which opens and shuts to become a trap or a chasm, which projects images of forest and fire, both framing and refracting the action. Coupled with John Rayment's exquisite lightine, the visual effect is stunning.

If spectacle is not enough, with all the emotional energy the music and dance is charged with, then there are simple layers of meaning in this fable — conservation and preservation, liberty of spirit, anti-regulation, all pitted against prejudice, possessiveness, destructiveness.

It's a daring enterprise in which the small, struggling dance company One Extra is given the opportunity to vent its talents on a large scale, Sydney Theater Co. forges new ground, and several art forms are fused to create a work of magic. Fleming is revealed as a writer with a gifted, elaborate imagination. In "Harold In Italy" he has written an original and entertaining work of art. — Krug.