LIZ LEA’S RED @ THE RIVERSIDE

RED pushes emotional buttons as it portrays a personal story about a dancer’s ordeal with a life changing disability. Written and directed by Liz Lea (London Contemporary Dance School), who also plays the part of the dancer, she wrestles with issues of loss, love and time passing.

Pulling heartstrings, RED has tragedy as its core but this show is anything but a downer. Having used the beat of her feet and a sense of humour, she weaponised herself against her condition.

Lea communicates patently and with a quick and delicate wit about human sensibilities of illness, whilst all along, never stopping to entertain. With a twirl of her tongue, she turns the audience’s discomfort firstly into tittering, then into giggling and finally into lurid laughter. When her heart leaps, Lea’s audience again follows her with all of their endorphins, leaving their stress hormones at the box office.

Her character is incredibly vivacious, highly spirited and nurturing, prompting all of us to trust in ourselves and in our intuition.

Lea has produced a beautiful show, emanating so much joy and life, which infectiously spills into the audience. — Funny, moving, brave and inspirational.  As a dancer, she has lost none of her grace. A pirouette, a développé, a jeté – always gliding across the stage with poise.

Lea, along with co-directors Brian Lucas and Natalie Ayton, Composer  Alexander Hunter and Choreography by Liz Lea, Vicki van Hout, Virginia Ferris and Martin del Amo deliver a terrific performance with seamless wizardry.

RED played the Lennox Theatre at the Riverside, Parramatta on the 1st and 2nd June, 2018.