Preview Aug 1-2 18:35 (50mins) £5.00
Aug 3-5,7-12,14-19,21-25 18:35 (50mins) £7.00(£5.00)
The Zoo

A story of two men on an Antarctic pilgrimage. Meet heroes, fish, penguins, seals and snowstorms in this Czech physical theatre tale!

A performance about solitude, friendship, waiting for help which never comes, about faith and hope; about lost things,consciousness, values and one's loved ones; about the desire to lose oneself, to be lost and suffer hardship. This is a show full of masculine romance which is becoming more and more rare in today's world.

Polaris has been created by Vojta Švejda and Jan Beneš-McGadie, two significant performers from the Czech Republic. They started to work together in 2006 and up to now they have captivated audiences in a range of both European (Germany, Finland, Hungary etc.) and Non-European countries (USA, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Chile etc.)

" Our performance style is based on subtle, precise expression which is born out of motionlessness and the act of waiting. We deal with confrontations between the inner movement of thought and the motionless body in surroundings which never cease to move.

" Both characters thus embody their surrealist imaginings, which are brought forth in their frozen and starving condition from their troubled heads," said Jan Beneš-McGadie.




Reviews

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2008/aug/08/edinburgh.review.polaris


THIS well-acted piece of physical theatre comes very close to being heartbreaking. Without a single word, the two performers of Czech company Adriatic act out the final days of two Antarctic explorers who have run out of luck.
As the howling wind blows, their vulnerability starts to grow. Dreams of a victorious return are enacted in a moment of vain hopefulness – a scene that becomes increasingly tragic. But it's not all doom and gloom. The explorers' fellow residents are depicted with accuracy and humour – the penguins, seals and fish who share the inhospitable habitat.
Pulling on a white, fluffy hat, one actor tugs at our heartstrings with his rendition of a baby penguin separated from its parents, while the poor, shivering sledge dog stares out at us with confused loyalty. However, the shifting focus, albeit entertaining, impedes their ability to really draw us in to their plight.
By KELLY APTER

Scotsman ***