Theatre / Reviews
Review: Follow The Signs, Tobacco Factory Theatres – ‘Moving, empowering and revelatory; a festival of storytelling’
Follow the Signs is billed as a “fully BSL-led hip-hop gig theatre show”, but truthfully it’s far more than that.
This autobiographical spectacle incorporates dance, drama, fine-tuned lighting work and consistently intelligent exposition via signing, spoken English, and creative captioning.
With such a richness of language, perhaps its biggest success is its clarity.
is needed now More than ever
(l-r): Fleur Angevine Rooth, Chris Fonseca and Raphaella Julien in Follow the Signs
This story belongs, mostly, to Chris Fonseca, who has felt “Black on a racist island” since birth, and “Deaf in a hearing world” since losing his hearing after contracting meningitis at two years old.
It also belongs to Raffie (Raphaella Julien), whose own turmoil is that of a perpetual liminal feeling — being “half-black, half-white” and “Deaf but oral”.
What drives the plot is the fact their stories aren’t the same. No two ever are. But in a production that doesn’t dip in energy or empathy for a single moment, the pair find kinship in those differences as much as in the common ground they share.
Raphaella Julien as ‘Raffie’
There’s plenty at play here. The music drives the narrative along; its absence is also used to great effect on several occasions. One scene bills the cochlear implant as a miraculous feat of science and engineering, yet it’s something Chris strives to hide for much of his adult life.
There’s also a nod to the challenge of representation, given that Chris has a “white voice” throughout the show — that of Harry Jardine, BSL-ally, rapper, voice artist, and co-director. Quite a calling card, eh? Jardine is a tour-de-force in his own right and the mutual respect between them is evident from the get-go.
Harry Jardine
In a preview, Fonseca told us that “dance is the very core of who I am – all my experiences, trips and joy have their place in my choreography.” And you really feel that in every transition, from the stilted uncertainty of childhood to the slow, agonising turns depicting the surgical fitting of the cochlear implant – a scene with an eerie, underwater quality to it.
Ultimately, it’s a 60-minute festival of storytelling with all the clout of a coming-of-age drama.
(l-r): Fleur Angevine Rooth, Chris Fonseca, Raphaella Julien
Past the bullying and self-doubt, Chris and Raffie’s fantasia of friendship helps them overcome adversity to own both their identities and the dance floor. The revelatory scenes are often marked by a release of tension – body-popping, vibration-feeling emotion that captivates the crowd.
This piece is marvellously moving – in both senses of the word. It’s an empowering reminder to recognise what we take for granted, to celebrate community, and… well… to dance a little more often.
Chris Fonseca
Follow The Signs is at Tobacco Factory Theatres on September 4-7 at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com. Follow @itschrisfonseca and @fusetheatre for more information.
All photos: Charlie Swinbourne
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