Multiplicity drives wordless dance drama

Matthew Bourne’s “Play Without Words,” a
funny, seductive show, speaks volumes about life, lust and
servility.

Bourne’s adaptation of the 1963 British film “The
Servant,” takes audiences through a brief encounter with a
rich man, his fiancee and, most importantly, his wait staff. The
show runs through May 29 at the Ahmanson Theatre.

The performance moves through scenes as promised, with no words,
but body language and musical tones communicate all that is
necessary to understand the lusty plots and subplots that run
through the show.

Bourne employs a highly original technique of multiplicity,
having two or three identical characters enacting the same parts on
stage at the same time, but rarely at the exact same moments.

Having these multiple images serves a number of different and
interesting visual purposes. First, the characters are able to
represent different moments in time simultaneously. The great
example of this trope would have to be when there are two sets of
butlers and masters. While one butler undresses his master,
preparing him to shower, the other dresses him in an identical
suit.

Funny moments like this help to balance the play’s darker
and more sexual scenes, which carry the plot, ultimately an
examination of human desire.

This doubling and tripling effect also helps represent slight
personality differences in the common man, who is always at least a
little schizophrenic in his desires and impulses. While some
figures move with aggressive stares and precise dance moves, others
are more cautious and nervous.

Last, this unique effect allows the audience to view the players
not as individuals, but members of a society. Because of the nature
of the show, no single character particularly stands out or runs
the narrative, and instead, all figures are shown to be intricately
interconnected.

Bourne, who directed and choreographed the piece, inflicted into
it his own artistic genius, as the dancers move with the grace that
he perfected in works as famous as “Swan Lake.”

Although the show’s dances are mostly jazz and modern, not
ballet, the characters move with an elegant grace that takes them
through daily activities with a flawless agility.

The show takes place in 1960s London, and juxtaposes the seedy
streets, where maids are dancers and sleazy men are Romeos, with
the orderly and elegant home of the bachelor.

The creative set employs a rotating staircase that functions as
a doorway, a bathroom, a strip joint and even a bus. The inventive
use of this simple stage piece allows Bourne to further develop the
manipulation of space that is so crucial to his performance.

Bourne leaves certain plot elements unexplained throughout the
show, adding to its mystery as he develops his characters. The play
gives just enough away to keep the audience’s attention, but
not so much that it ruins the mystique of these emotionally and
physically complex characters.

The combination of dynamic dance moves, visually stunning set
and costume design, hilarious moments and steamy sexual encounters
makes this play brilliant and timeless. Without words, the show is
at its most powerful.

-Alexis Matsui