'Celluloid Souls'- Zoo Indigo

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As part of De Montfort Universities ‘Cultural Exchanges week’, ‘Zoo Indigo’ performed their show ‘Celluloid Souls’ on the 1st March. Made up of 2 friends, Ildiko Rippel and Rosie Garton, the company, formed in 2002, create almost slapstick multi-media productions, performed in both English and German.

After booking tickets for this show, you are urged to fill out a questionnaire detailing your film memories, including your favourite scene, which character you would like to be, and a memorable cinema experience. These create the foundation for the performance, which therefore is different every time, based on the audience.

A post-modern exploration of cinema, this performance cleverly recreates scenes from film, with a mixture of pre-recorded footage, film clips, and live camera work.

Rippel and Garton, humorously incorporate household objects into their bizarre re-enactment of scenes, making expert use of camera trickery to imitate the intricate clips. We saw the pair in tin foil trousers and colander hats, replicating the sexual nature of ‘Barbarella’; using hula hoops to mimic an alien brain scan; and wearing numerous wigs, moustaches, sideburns and coats to portray a multitude of interesting characters. The performers explain that they do not intend to replicate the characters exactly, but create a comedic alternative, that is still recognisable to the audience.

Supported by the wonderfully talented Matt Marks on keyboard, the performers oozed charisma from start to finish and, as an audience I couldn’t help but like the pair. They bounced off each other’s wit brilliantly, maintaining a captivating energy, which provided comedy, as well as some unexpected moments of sincerity.

I particularly enjoyed the clever use of foley in this performance, done in such a way to not hide anything, but rather celebrate the strangeness of things they were using. We saw bike pedals being spun to sound like tumble weed, tin foil crackled to imitate fire, and even cheese graters being scratched to create the instruments in the song ‘Stand by Me’. Although very effective at portraying the sounds intended, this also gave yet another comedic slant due to its complete absurdity.

This charmingly unpolished performance is not only a playful mockery of the film industry, but it also explores some interesting themes of how film shapes our lives, reinforcing heteronormativity and traditional gender roles, as well as examining Nazi propaganda films. I found this to be an interesting undertone for such a piece, moving us from laughter to sorrow in an instant, and giving an audience a lot to think about. I believe if you leave a performance thinking, it has done its job, therefore I appreciated the use of these techniques from this company, despite others questioning the necessity of including those themes.

Overall, the cheeky nature of this tailor made production was wonderfully engaging, and although it was a little rough around the edges, this was inherent to the piece, and gave it its charming quality. The performers had an infectious, carefree attitude, not afraid of making themselves look like fools, but instead embracing it. I love the concept that each show is specific to the audience, and the company have got it right when they describe it as a ‘patchwork of the cinematic’, really demonstrating a jumbled concoction of cinema, performed in just the same jumbled way. Well done ladies, an excellent show.

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