Temporal Aria
Mayfair Theatre
Thursday, March 19
Producer and artist Nicole Maisey has created an arresting work that delves into her recent ADHD diagnosis - something utterly personal and raw was performed in front of us through a series of vignettes; small snippets and glimpses into the various parts of her journey.
Temporal Aria is a contemporary and intimate circus act that displays immense vulnerability and trust - not just in herself but in us, the audience.
The opening scene was Nicole literally wedged in a box: contorted into a confined space while scrawling on the perspex walls.
She used the box as a metaphor and prop for the opening sequence, including her first hair suspending act.
There were no contraptions around her head and it was all in the way the hair was exactly positioned and tied that allowed this sort of feat to succeed.
Her strength and physicality showed from start to finish, but, it was breathtaking how delicate and graceful her movements were.
I suspect that the work was somewhat of an evolving performance, as she grew, the performance grew, too.
She was the sole artist on stage, except when her very capable aide, Matthias Goed, assisted in readjusting the stage/silks/lighting.
A beautiful tender moment happened when the silks were used as a screen.
Goed lighting her from behind illuminating her silhouette; the shadows that were created gave us a gentleness and a minute to breathe.
Maisey’s silk work was impressive, her control and somewhat exercised restraint left us wanting more.
She was a commanding performer in all senses.
I’m not one for audience participation, it fills me with anxiety, but the five members of the audience who were chosen to be a part of her finale would have had the most wonderful experience being immersed into her world.
Her second hair suspension piece was sensational - at first Maisey used her own weight to control the suspension, then Goed took over so she could perform the sublime spins: weightless and ethereal.
The perspective of viewing this from the stage? Incomparable, I imagine.
The struggle to control the uncontrollable and unknown, through perseverance to then finally give way to acceptance and a new way of viewing life and the surrounding world is something many of us have coped with or are coping with. The more artists who put it out there the better.
Temporal Aria is beautiful, poetic, engaging and completely open, with the final performance tonight.
