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> DUKES > YOUTH ARTS CENTRE > THE LAST COMPOSITION |
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THE LAST COMPOSITION Devised and performed by SHATTERING IMAGES The
Dukes Youth Arts Theatre, Moor Lane, Lancaster An astonishing and powerful evening It is not often one gets to see inside The Dukes Youth Arts Theatre, and in her introduction to the evening, director Helen Clugston told us that some visiting students from a school in Haslingden remarked that the main central space was "Magic, it's absolutely magic'.
The Last Composition has been performed on several occasions, for different audiences, since its première last October, and tonight was a special occasion for all concerned, as it was its last outing. The play tells us about events and happenings from the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and took some inspiration from Amadeus, the popular film by Peter Shaffer.
The narrative then takes on a more solemn, tragic mood as the ‘Black Figure' pays Mozart a visit to commission the Requiem K626, the composer's badly failing health and his rapid demise. Then followed what I can only call a celebration of the man, his life and his music as we saw his soul return to the loving God who had made him, troubles, genius, illnesses, disabilities, happy merriment and all. I have seen the film Amadeus, and the original Peter Shaffer play too (click here to read my review) and, as a music graduate, have studied, played and conducted the life and music of Mozart for nearly forty years. But this performance was one of the most moving things I have seen, and not just because it was about one of my favourite and best-respected composers. I am always moved when I hear Mozart's music, or read about his works, or see a film or a play about his life.
So what happened that night was that your critic (who is himself disabled) was watching a show about a disabled man (Mozart almost certainly suffered from at least Tourrette's Syndrome), performed by disabled people.
It was impossible to pick out any individual performance, since this was, above all, a glorious example of co-operation and working together as a committed group. So I am listing all of those who took part at the end of this review (click here to see the cast and other people involved in the play).
And these young people clearly demonstrated courage, ability and skill – and above all that not only had they been moved and completely engaged by the story they played out, but also that they had done something that most people in Lancaster aren't brave enough to do: get up on stage, work hard to learn and polish your performance, do your best to communicate with others what you have enjoyed doing. I was humbled and astounded. It is occasions like this, so often under-funded and under-reported, that show so clearly how the arts can empower and liberate people, take them out of themselves, give confidence and the self-esteem and sense of well-being that are so important for all of us. This was a rare, and truly vital experience. The Last Composition was presented by: CAST Director - Helen Clugston Copyright © 22 June 2005 Michael Nunn Postscript: |
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They
were right – broad, high ceiling, with some elegant evidence of
the building's original religious use, well equipped with sound,
lights and other technical equipment. So the main area is very flexible
and adaptable, and allows a wide range of performances, workshops and
other activities to take place. It is a superb venue that is much used
throughout the year, though it's not often I have heard of performances
advertised there.
We
meet the sinister Whisperers, who spread the gossip around the highly
corrupt and stiflingly formal Viennese Court (remember the Emperor and
his ‘Too many notes', or ‘There it is'?). The
pauper's burial, Mozart's antics playing the piano back
to front, their removal to a new flat, the ‘theft' of Mozart's
manuscripts by jealous arch-rival Salieri (boo!) and Wolfie's
bickering (not always playful) with his wife Constanza.
But
there was more to tonight than that. I have forgotten to tell you something.
Shattering Images is a group of young people, all with learning and
physical difficulties and disabilities, who meet and work regularly
throughout the year. 
The
two-hour performance was electrifying by any standards. The fourteen
cast all played their different parts with supreme confidence, dignity,
and pathos and wit as the scenes demanded. With some fine costumes,
good settings, imaginative staging, well-chosen music, appropriate mime,
tableau, movement and masque, no attention was spared to wonderful detail
of the visual and dramatic narrative.
I
was suddenly aware, even by the interval, that everything I had seen
played out in front of me - culture, music, dance, creativity, the emotions,
song, dance, mime, love stories, movement, marriage, arguments –
in fact, what we loosely call ‘The Arts' and life in general,
belong to everyone. Yes, to the audiences at ‘mainstream'
theatre, but more importantly, to you and me, regardless of real or
perceived ‘disability'. 
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