The right mix [by James Wenley]
With a sprawling ensemble cast of young refugees, migrants and locals, in Bitter Sweet Mixit repurpose the Romeo and Juliet proto-narrative and respond with a unique collective voice that can only come with having so many distinct voices in the devising room.
In this tale you’ll find aspect of the familiar. Two households, both alike in dignity, but lacking in humanity. Two star-crossed lovers. Some biting of thumbs and a wild party. But when Tawanda Manyimo, the seen-it-all-before narrator, intones that “never was there a tale of more woe than a mother, and her Antonio” any preconceptions are dashed. I had to check with my partner that I’d heard it correctly. Who is Antonio and his mother, and what is their story?
What they face, and R&J didn’t, is a journey from their motherland to a new home. Here, the reason for displacement is a tsunami, but it could be war, famine, political or religious discrimination, the hope for a better tomorrow. Their Tsunami is unexpected, and for a brief moment the warring families are united as the waves crash over. In the aftermath there’s defiance from one – “I’m not leaving my village” – but the families are forced to leave. One travels by boat, another smuggled across borders in the back of a truck.
The families are the blue Aquila (eagle) and red Volpetta (fox), and the two doors to the TAPAC theatre represent their two sides. At the beginning we are greeted with a marketplace where the reds and blues , though sniping at each other, intermingle, commerce trumping grudge. It’s the two alpha-males that draw the groups to the opposing sides of stage for a fierce face off. There are fox howls, the beating of wings, and enough stamping of feet to shake and threaten to bring the theatre down. The animosity created is powerful. In this setting we meet Antonio (Josh Mushagalusa Mutuga), a Volpetta, a young boy with a love of dance and a skilled pickpocket. When the Tsunami hits, he finds new maturity caring for his mother.
In the new land, however, the Aquilas and Volpettas have bought the war with them. When the families object to the Romeo and Juliet figures dancing with each other at what was meant to be a celebration for their new home, innocents are caught up in the fight. This becomes the Mercutio moment. In the Shakespeare, his death marks the inevitable descent into tragedy, but in Bitter Sweet, the company emphasise that their story is not yet written. The power of this work is their choice to advocate for an alternative narrative and common humanity.
The company have been mentored by Wendy Preston, Tahi Mapp-Borren (directors), Paola Rotunda (dramaturge) and Justin Haiu (chorographer) in devising Bitter Sweet, the first show that Mixit have produced for a theatre (who until now have made site-specific outdoor work). Their story is told with astonishing physical skill, with dance and movement creating memorable images. It’s a huge cast of 24 with near-constant activity onstage, it’s vibrant, dynamic and incredibly engaging . There’s a babel of languages with company members speaking in home and adopted tongues, and one of the pleasures is to hear all these beautiful languages
The box office was turning people away at the door for the show’s first performance last night, and there are only two performances today. So if you don’t make this one, look out for the next Mixit show. I’d love to see Bittersweet have another season too and to continue to develop its purpose. This is theatre as it should be – a coming together of diverse experience provoking dialogue and understanding.
Bittersweet is presented by Mixit and plays at TAPAC 16-17 Jan. Details see Mixit.
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