Sadiq Ali: Tell Me at The Lowry Review
Written by Roby for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The Sadiq Ali Company has produced a “captivating contemporary circus and dance show that reimagines the narrative around HIV in today’s world”. Tell Me is a visual spectacle that is raw, sensual, and thought provoking.
The show, running at 70 minutes, is nicely paced. However, the narrative can often feel ambiguous and therefore becomes a harder story to connect to. Perhaps the art form is just one that I am not familiar enough with though, as many audience members came out of the show praising its story and execution. Whilst I thought it had a powerful message, I felt that it could do with being made clearer, perhaps through more spoken sections within the piece. The use of letters was poignant, but in my opinion, not utilised often enough.
There are some lovely metaphors throughout the show, nevertheless. The metaphor of red cubes being a symbol for HIV is a particularly powerful one, and makes for some great storytelling throughout of entrapment and consumption.
The three performers in the show (Sadiq Ali, Phoebe Knight, Jonah Russell), who have also devised the piece, are undeniably incredible. Their strength and ability us extremely impressive, performing tirelessly to deliver a visually engaging show. These visuals are enhanced by lighting designer Jamie Heseltine. His design is bold, and complements the set and story well. Also, Özüak’s set and costume design also compliments the set and story well; the variety in props and set pieces allows the performers to explore and create different sections that prevent the piece from becoming repetitive. However, often these props or costume pieces are poorly flung offstage or become quite hard to remove - this distracts from the piece, somewhat pulling me out of it.
Guy Veale’s sound design is also nice; however, the transition in between pieces of music could sometimes be smoother. The use of an 80s soundtrack, and the use of letters dated 1984 throughout the piece make it hard to see how this piece translates the narrative in today’s world. The “club” section of the show is exciting, and I wish that the vogue/ballroom choreography and culture were explored further.
Overall, Tell Me is an unquestionably admirable piece. It certainly challenges boundaries and features extremely complex tricks and choreography that are executed brilliantly by the show’s three performers. Whilst it often feels to me ambiguous and makes some questionable choices, many audience members around me thoroughly enjoyed it. It may not be for everyone, but it is certainly thought-provoking and interesting.
★★★
