As my quite extensive Tap Gallery theatre experiences goes, the hybrid, experimental piece WALK IN BEAUTY ranks as one of the most daring, engrossing productions.

In a mesmerising  one hour performance involving twelve very distinctive scenes, statuesque, elegant dancer Alysha Firbank works the tiniest of stages to convey Geoffrey Sykes’s esoteric piece charting  the human journey, in particular the female journey, from the primordial right up to some imaginings of what the future may hold. She is supported/backed up by the full range of multi-media.

Behind Firbank through her performance, Sykes splashes onto a silk curtain  a vast, diverse range of images,  featuring some great spectacular nature shots and including many print images of the work of South Australian printmaker Janet Ayliffe.

The work is interspersed with voice overs by Sydney actor Susie Lindemann reading from extracts from literature and religious texts from time memorial.

An atmospheric score is provided by Tomoni Takahashi, complemented by some song recordings  by Branden Christine.

Thank you to the WALK IN BEAUTY team for, as the great Van Morrison song goes, bringing audiences A SENSE OF WONDER, in particular at the achievements of our species from very humble beginnings.

Sadly this playscript production only played a very brief season, playing for four performances at the Tap between the 28th and the 31st August.