HEAT | Zen Zen Zo
HEAT. Images credit: Georgia Haupt
Heat takes place in the sweetly nostalgic backyard of Morningside Scout Hall, a classic school-yard style building with layered timber and a tall roof. The addition of a clothesline, a ring of eucalypts, a sunset and a passing trainline results in a richly sensory experience that charms the early show audience.
The show chases the feeling of summer in a series of vignettes that riff on cliches of Queenslander life. I will ad mit tohaving long been a fan of the Zen Zen Zo style of butoh and Suzuki-infused physical theatre stylings and in this new work by Associate Director Ebony Watts we see a cacophony of other forms mixed in, performance poetry, rough-hewn ensemble dance, semi-contained chaos-play. A feeling of present-day Australian nostalgia pervades, with stereotypical ‘ozzie’ characters living out their best lives amongst sprinklers, damp washing and water fights.
Set in the outdoors, the unexpected resonance of the sky and weather was delightful. The calls of birds, the grinding trains, the unexpectedly vigorous wind under a deceptively clear sky all contributed to a sense of urgency in the acts. Washing on a line billowed near sideways, we collectively peered to the sky for any sudden storm clouds.
Some moments of striking original poetry punctuated the physical theatre scenes, odes to sweat and work and the dreadful sky. The challenges of the outdoor setting meant that the words balanced on the very edge of our hearing and would benefit from amplification for full comprehension.
The scenes moved up and down in tempo and emotion, however an overall feeling of joy pervades. The sheer fun of ensemble work and barefeet in the grass is evident. The wider ensemble scenes have a ribald, rough-hewn energy—playfully chaotic, even if it’s not always clear how intentional that chaos is.
A highlight for me was the beautifully performed endurance character of Wayne Jennings, who takes a contented nap in the aching sun for far too long for sun safety. The skill in endurance performance is underestimated for its subtlety; we nearly forget the sunshine sleeper is there in the busy scenes, and when he rises we have all but forgotten his long sleep; the character added a beautiful counterpoint to the business of the rest of the show.
The show notes reveal that the show is not just an exploration of the summer but also hints at a broader climatic message. These messages are harder to grab hold of, but can be guessed at in the deeper meaning of ritual dancing, of ghost-like figures striding through wind-blown sheets. There is a sense that the production is reaching toward something larger, an undercurrent of unease beneath the nostalgia, a quiet acknowledgement of the world shifting around us. Even as it continues to develop its choreographic precision, this early iteration of this work is already a joyful offering.
