Oriana - Old Museum Arts

Karl Wallace's new 60-minute piece for Kabosh is a wordless, musical evocation of the journeys we experience in our dreams

Karl Wallace's new 60-minute piece for Kabosh is a wordless, musical evocation of the journeys we experience in our dreams. Armed with vivid imaginations and a handful of good books, a young girl and her sleeping companions drift, with eyes wide shut, on to the top of concrete tower blocks and through the mean streets of abandoned terraces, to find starlit stairways and magical playgrounds.

Likewise, the audience members are invited to create their own flights of discovery.

One may be reminded, in turn, of the spiky, urban fairytales of Philip Ridley, the childhood legend of the frog-prince and the grotesque poetic beauty of Baudelaire's L'Albatros. Others may find different references altogether. Of some things, however, audiences will be united: namely in their fascination and sense of wonder at the fluid movement and physical assurance of Seamus Allen, Mike Carbery, Alessandra McIlduff and Aoife McMahon's performances; and at the cohesion of Gary McCann's moveable block set, Rachel O'Riordan's silky choreography, Amy Smith's witty lighting and John Dunne's hypnotic music.

Technically, this is a tricky, complex show, tailormade to respond to the never-still inventiveness of director-devisor Wallace and re warding its audience with the promise of sweet dreams.

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Oriana is at the Old Museum Arts Centre until February 10th (telephone: Belfast 90233332); then tours to The Market Place, Armagh (February 15th); The Playhouse, Derry (February 16th); Siamsa Tire, Tralee (February 19th and 20th); Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick (February 22nd to 24th); An Grianan, Letterkenny (March 2nd); Queen's Hall, Newtownards (March 3rd); and The Project, Dublin (March 7th to 10th).