Seen at Torino Fringe Festival on the 24^th of May 2023

2 Stars – unfinished work

The concept is enthralling: bringing together music, poetry, science, activism, and video art. Sadly, many things didn’t work in this performance, which had been hyped through its presentation and advertising. The show had been announced as a great concert-performance, to be seen in the formal Teatro Astra. The number of mistakes on scene, with some technical problems, don’t allow me to define it a ‘final product’. Had it been described as a jam session, or a work in progress, I would have taken it.

The project is an idea of the actress and singer Linda Messerklinger, who wrote some of the songs with the bass and moog player Luca Vicini (musician of the well-known band Subsonica), even though they also played indie-style covers of other songs. In-between musical moments there were poems and speeches on relevant themes connected to Nature and the necessity of a new approach to environmental questions. They were written and performed by the singer or by other people –  majority of women – who went on stage for a shorter time – and who are not acknowledged on the website, while falling under the generic ‘special guests’ on the leaflet description. On stage were also Claudio Lorusso (electric guitar and synth), and Nadia Zanellato (visuals).

Because of the lack of stage direction, the performers were not coordinated, they missed instructions, there was no unifying element in the costumes, and so on. There is one specific point I cannot keep quiet. The visuals on the wide screen on the background mostly represented natural elements, from DNA sequences to wild animals. Among bears, owls, and wolves, there was the ritually painted face of a black woman. The image in this context, with all its implications, is racist and not acceptable in a show that claims to suggest ideas for a better future on planet Earth.

I enjoyed some of the songs, some of the poems and speeches, and the idea of bringing more people to the stage, even though they might not be professional performers. I fear this is not enough to rescue the show from all its evident flaws, especially in comparison with how it was presented.

5th-13th August; 1.45 pm

Running time: 70 minutes (actually 90)

Venue: Teatro Astra, Via Rosolino Pilo 9

Tickets and Info: https://www.tofringe.it/eventi-23/anima-l/

Instagram: https://www.secure.instagram.com/linda_klee/?hl=fr