Forest Collective | Labyrinth
February 4, 2025 Abbotsford Convent, VIC
The Minotaur always struck me as a sad figure of Greek mythology. Alone, confused, unloved, ostracised from family and eventually coming to a grizzly end. All of this makes the Minotaur an ideal subject for an opera.
Labyrinth by Evan J Lawson and Daniel Szesiong Todd tells the story in an original, dramatic and effective way. It’s an experience which engages all the senses. Part opera, part concerto, part modern dance work, we are literally taken on a journey, as the audience moves from chamber to chamber to follow the story of our hero, Theseus.
The story of the Minotaur is that he is born half man, half bull as a result of a union facilitated by the master craftsman Daedalus, and can only survive on a diet of human flesh. The poor creature wanders the maze built for it starving and crazed, waiting for the sacrificial victims which become its dinner.
Ariadne, the Minotaur’s half sister, supports the hero, Theseus to defeat the Minotaur and return to her with the help of yarn or string in order to find his way back to her.
The production brings all the narrative elements of the story together in a convincing and exciting way. We gather outside as bats fly overhead in the gothic setting of the Convent and are drawn into the story by a handsome and well-voiced Theseus performed by one of creators of the work, librettist and tenor, Daniel Szesiong Todd.
Equally impressive is Teresa Ingrilli as the damsel (not) in distress, Ariadne, and Girl Whatever, who bursts onto the scene as the mad architect of all this misery, Daedalus. The musical elements of the work are impressive. Kim Tan on flute and Alex Macdonald on viola who bring us gently into this mythical world, and Dr Danaë Killian who draws us in as the figurative Minotaur represented by the sound of the piano in the distance, gradually getting louder and closer.
The ominous sound of the piano eventually being slain and falling silent as a result of the wounds inflicted by Theseus was a stroke of brilliance by composer Evan J Lawson, who along with the other creatives has built on the success of the work from 2024, reworking it and adding to it.
The dance scene provided by Ashley Dougan and Charlie MacArthur played on the thread given to Theseus by Adriane in order that he might retrace his steps and escape the labyrinth added a theatrical dimension to the evening. As did moving through the historic rooms of the venue.
I was struck with the use of the spaces of the Magdalen Laundries of the Abbotsford Convent. These were effectively halls of industry, using the indentured labour of women who may have been unmarried mothers, or outcasts of society at that time.
The rooms were not unfriendly, or unsympathetic to the performance, in fact they were beautifully lit by Gabe Bethune and director Cathy Hunt expertly used the spaces for impact and dramatic effect. The costumes by Jane Noonan also honoured the mythology as well as setting.
The show is on as part of the Midsumma Festival and is a complex and satisfying exploration of the nature and origins of shame, as well as the complexity of the human condition, especially when trapped in a maze with no means of escape.
