Set to the songs of Sting, it’s a stirring tale of a fractured family
With the theatre pulsating with the iconic music of Sting and the hardcore choreography of Kate Prince, Message In A Bottle, an all-dance show, has opened at the Buell Theatre. Just shy of two hours, the audience is treated to rapid-fire songs from Sting and the relentless dance numbers choreographed by Prince that tell the story of our fractured world today.
As the artistic director of her own company, “ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company,” and director/choreographer of Message In A Bottle, Prince has assembled a stage full of remarkable dancers telling the story of a family displaced from their homeland during a civil war. Reflecting so much of what we see on the nightly news, a mother and father and their three children are separated during the initial attack and must face the harsh reality of war and the torturous acts that follow. During their journey, they each resolve to live despite the inhumanity they experience at the hands of unidentified terrorists along the way.
The recorded music of Sting — including classics like “Message In A Bottle,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Fields of Gold” and “Roxanne” — serves as the perfect accompaniment for the bone-crushing choreography playing out on stage. You don’t necessarily have to be a Sting devotee to appreciate the body of his work that weaves so beautifully throughout the performance. Each song accompanied with a different dance number advances the storyline as if it had been written specifically for this production.
Kate Prince directed and choreographed the performance with great care and strength. Never straying from the initial concept of combining dance with Sting’s music, Prince easily meshes the two together for a satisfying experience in the theatre. The choreography is fast and furious, with a pounding precision that evokes different styles of modern and abstract dance but highlights mainly the intrinsic qualities of hip-hop.
The dancers are all masterful practitioners and possess extremely athletic abilities, rivaling any professional athlete. They are not identified as playing specific roles in the program; instead, they are a cohesive troupe bringing to life this gripping story that ultimately does end on a happy note.
The setting, designed by Ben Stones, is stark, with little scenery cluttering the dance floor. The lighting designer Natasha Chivers captures the essence of a war-torn society exceptionally well.
Although not your traditional theatrical experience, ‘Message In A Bottle’ is a unique journey for all theatre-goers. With only music and dance to advance the compelling storyline, it is both moving and thrilling.
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