Zhang Wu's seemingly random set - thin black scaffolding, a treadmill, plastic-covered chairs, beds - and the flashy, technically impressive staging, directed by Meng Jinghui, can represent our hero's increasingly chaotic subconscious. Thus, in an early entrance, Mingming disturbs the plastic membrane that surrounds the stage, and against an otherwise limited palette of grey, white and black, her diaphanous, gauzy dress stands out, changing colour from white to yellow to red.
The play shows Ma Lu's full-tilt mythologising of his object of desire, without commenting on it. "Loving her is the best thing I've ever done," he declares. Liao Yimei leaves it up to the audience to decide whether to agree with him, to identify with him, or not.
If all you know about Chinese performance culture is its opera, this play is a complete revelation.
Rhinoceros in Love
When: Until March 12
Where: Maidment Theatre, Princes St
Reviewer: Janet McAllister
