Review: Theatre of Dreams, Sadler’s Wells Theatre

Delving into the world of dreams and the subconscious mind, Hofesh Shechter’s Theatre of Dreams is back at Sadler’s Wells. Over 90 minutes, Shechter explores emotions that command our conscious and subconscious thoughts, culminating in this transfixing piece of art, which draws you in and doesn’t let you go until it’s done. The whole piece has an earthy, grounded nature to it, brimming with visceral emotion, providing a vibrant feast for the senses. At times, it feels like you’ve stumbled upon a rave, with club-like movements teamed with blaringly loud music.

Shechter himself admits he hopes his audiences “fall down the rabbit hole” with whatever piece of his work they’re watching, and let me tell you, Alice would be in for a treat if this were the rabbit hole she had stumbled upon. The fusion of dance styles is clever, moving seamlessly from salsa to hip hop to ballroom to contemporary, creating a wonderful melting pot of cultures and emotions that brilliantly encompasses the flitting and ever-changing nature of the human brain. The choreography moves from frantic, with the dancers weaving through each other, executing multiple different patterns of movement concurrently, to sudden, blissful moments of stillness.

Dynamically, the piece shines; the contrast of fast and slow, the precise and the frenzied all aiding the entrancing nature that the whole choreographic work exudes. It’s brilliantly thought out and pieced together, with seamless transitions proving impressive as performers disappear and reappear at a moment’s notice. The twelve-strong company of dancers are magnetic. They have the greatest sense of complicité – moving and breathing in total harmony. The group focus is impressive, with haunting moments where the whole company turn and face the audience.

The lighting design by Tom Visser is pure genius and superbly captures the different realms of the stage, from small and confined red boxes to blue washes. The use of drapes manned by the dancers complements the compartmentalisation of the piece, aided by the blackouts, which work incredibly well, and sets an unnerving edge.

Live music adds an extra vibrancy, juxtaposed with the heavy thudding soundscape and a singular lyric-driven song, “I Remember”: a deeply emotional anchor that’s both relatable and authentic.

The piece ends with curtains hung, akin to the front of a proscenium arch, at the back of the stage. The company are still, focused on the curtain, the house lights are up, and there is silence, and it is a beautiful sight to behold.

Theatre of Dreams is a bewitching 90-minute dance piece that is left wide open for interpretation by the viewer. It’s wonderfully crafted and secures its place in the contemporary dance canon with ease – a truly masterful interpretation of the human psyche and the dreams that it beholds.

Choreography and Music: Hofesh Shechter
Lighting Design: Tom Visser
Costume Design: Osnat Kelner
Associate Artistic Director: Bruno Guillore
Music Collaborator: Yaron Engler
Set Collaborator: Niall Black

Theatre of Dreams plays at Sadler’s Wells until Saturday 18 October before touring.