Harbourfront World Stage – Splintergroup’s Roadkill

reviewed by Paula Citron
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Roadkill
Splintergroup
Harbourfront World Stage
Choreographed by Gavin Webber, Grayson Millwood and Sarah-Jayne Howard
Performed by Webber, Millwood and Gabrielle Nankivell
At the Enwave Theatre until Feb. 6
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Roadkill is dancetheatre that manages to be both brilliant and disappointing at the same time. Despite haunting images and outstanding production values, the piece bogs down in symbolism overkill.

The internationally acclaimed Australian collective Splintergroup created Roadkill in 2007. Their penchant is the exploration of the dark side of humankind through physical theatre. Their theme in Roadkill is townies stranded in the Australian outback and their resulting paranoia.

Roadkill has a very strong beginning. A young couple with a broken-down car and hormones raging play sexual games. Panic sets in when a stranger suddenly appears. At this point, Roadkill moves into the imagination and its larger-than-life fears, played out in various scenes and dance that are breathtakingly bruising and brutal.

The ultimate problem with an otherwise intriguing Roadkill is that the heart-stopping terror at the emotional core becomes blunted and distanced as an art gallery of images takes over the piece.

Roadkill continues at the Enwave Theatre until Feb. 6.