PETAR MILOSHEVSKI

THE BEAUTIFUL - review

15/08/2013

The play lived up to its name, with Antonella Petraccaro-Gysler’s stunning costume, well-chosen music and skilful lighting, but the most striking aspect, among many, was the intensity and imagination of the acting itself. Miloshevski’s performance was part acting, part movement bordering on dance. This, along with the exotic costume and make-up, gave the impression of someone transported to Covent Garden from one of the more experimental of the Edwardian-era Ballets Russes performances. 

The way the character he played went mad before our eyes, reinforced this impression, conjuring up the ghost of Vaslav Nijinsky, the ‘God of the Dance’ who could equally have been referred to as ‘The Beautiful’ and whose mind disintegrated in the course of the First World War. Madness and talent traditionally walk close beside each other, but rarely can the distance between them have been as narrow – or as shifting – as in Miloshevski’s extraordinary tour de force. This is a work that will no doubt be seen in many more festivals across Europe in future and if their judging panels share even a part of the enthusiasm shown by the audience at the Tristan Bates then its deviser and performer is in line for another clutch of well-deserved awards.

Paul Ibell