Passports currently playing at the All Saints Performing Arts Centre is an exploration through movement and text into the journey of travelling, breathing in the liminality of airports, embracing the awkwardness of situations, finding the joy in connection, and delving into the alienation of the bureaucracy of attempting to travel.
David Stewart’s sound design was a standout feature, seamlessly integrating with the choreography to enhance the emotional depth of the performance. Especially enhanced by Prajith on the suitcase accordion breaking up the show with intense emotional beats.
Often I find shows trying to jump between text and movement to be clunky and awkward, but seamless transitions through and the integration of both, served the work fantastically. Monologues and dialogues were not mere interludes but integral components that deepened the narrative. The actors’ delivery was compelling, their words flowing naturally into the dancers’ expressive movements, creating a harmonious blend of theatre and dance.
Photography by Tashi Hall.
All performers were striking, intense, and delivered even the comedic bits with complete conviction. Aki Sato-Johnson was a standout for me, with a strong and intense stage presence she commanded with voice and movement so much so, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Prajith K Prasad and Ramith Ramesh delivered hit after hit, jumping off of scenes using their comedic chops, to intense emotional scenes of alienation and isolation. The whole ensemble achieved a strong cohesion, melding together a strong narrative and bringing the audience into this nebulous world of travel.
This show could have easily been a basic surface level look at travelling and how strange it can feel but I always appreciate a stronger underlying message. We get a glance at how easy travel is for those with privilege, those who come from wealthy countries who can almost freely travel with basic ticks of approval in the form of visas. But we also see those who get left behind, stuck behind arbitrary borders, and governmental red tape, punishing almost indiscriminately. Passports delivers a strong thematic resonance bringing us closer to these characters to only find a harsh reality of how privileged we can be to travel so freely.
Passports is on from May 29-31.