When film and stage collide: The Antonioni Project

After hearing about the legendary 6-hour performance of The Roman Tragedies based on Shakespeare's Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra by the Dutch theatre company Toneelgroep Amsterdam I was eager to see their latest at the Barbican, The Antonioni Project - based on Italian auteur Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1960s films, L’Avventura, La Notte and L’Eclisse.

I mistakenly went to the performance without reading up or watching anything on Antonioni's films. I found the three converging story lines confusing and at some points trite. Thus, I cannot speak in depth on whether or not their examination on Antonioni's film is successful, for lack of a better word, or not. So here are my initial reactions to the piece.

The enormous Barbican Theatre stage is transformed into a Hollywood studio blue box (used for CGI effects) with a screen on the upper half of the proscenium (complete with subtitles for those of us who don't speak Dutch), cameras set up on stage, a film track for tracking shots, and the "orchestra pit" is set up with tv's and technicians as well as couches where the actors sit. As you can tell from this initial description, a lot is going on.

Although the undertaking is commendable I'm left not entirely satisfied. Perhaps it is the two-dimensional characters, my ADHD (seriously, A LOT is happening on stage all at once), or my recent longing for simplicity. A part of me is wondering where theatre is going as we begin to incorporate and rely on more and more technology. My fear is that use of technology, our post post-modern self-reflexivity and a growing sensation of an existential void are going to try to eradicate good old fashioned story telling.

Putting my nostalgia aside, however, I honestly found the performance fascinating. And there were some stunning moments of longing, connection and vulnerability - but nothing substantial enough to grasp on to. The visual elements are intriguing as we watch the actors in the blue on stage and the filmic close-up on screen. And transitions between cuts are thoughtful act actors flow between each other, mimicking the dissolve editing in film. 

The acting, tinged with a bit of 1960s melodrama, is constant and committed throughout which makes the lack of character depth not as much of an issue, especially because I don't think we're supposed to have any connections to any of the characters, nor are we to identify with them; and if we do identify with them, we should take a seriously look at ourselves. By the middle of the second act everyone is hooking up, one couple brilliantly stumble around the stage tearing at each other. As the characters continue to make what my friends and I call "life mistakes" one can't help be feel a little depressed. And my one, I am obviously referring to myself. I could go into detail, but that's way more information than I'm willing to reveal here.


Here's a clip from the show:

Antonioni Project from Tal Yarden on Vimeo.

Here's an American trailer for L'Avventura:


La Notte:


L'Eclisse:


Having now watched a few clips and documentaries on Antonioni, Toneelgroep definitely captures his characters' materialistic worlds and their inability to connect, however I don't feel the languidness on the stage as I do the films. I don't sense a search for meaning from the creators like I do from Antonioni. What I get is a lot more frenetic and complicated, which is perhaps where my hesitation is in fully embracing this piece.