Review
2024
BALLET | NIGHTS PRESENTS
UK PREMIERE
IMAGO
★★★★★
Choreographed & Performbed by
James Pett & Travis Clausen-Knight
April 26-27
LANTERNS STUDIO THEATRE
27 April, 2024
Review Preview
The creative arts have to be flexible, as without this flexibility, they become stagnant and fail to engage with new audiences. For too long, certain gatekeepers have held firm to the idea that ballet, classical music, dance, theatre, etc. must conform to their traditionalist view. We don’t have to look too far back to Emma Rice’s tenure at The Globe and the mountain of resistance she faced in truly challenging this idea of tradition. For The Globe, they would rather part ways with an artistic director who had brought new audiences from all walks of life to their space than appreciate and accept that what she was doing was vital for their survival beyond their usual clientele.
I mention this because the Ballet | Nights SPOTLIGHTS UK premiere of James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight's IMAGO would be the first time I had seen a production at the Lanterns Studio Theatre. Nestled between South Quay and Crossharbour DLR stations, the Lantern comes across as a polite rebel that’s willing to go against convention to offer audiences something fresh, unique, and inspiring. For Pett and Clausen-Knight, I couldn’t think of a better place to have a UK premiere.
There is something calming about walking into the performance space at Lanterns. It’s dark, with just a slight suggestion of a blue hue. A musical prelude by Sean Pett, piano, and violinist Adriana Cristea sets the stage for where Pett and Clausen-Knight want to take their audience. Sean Pett's original score blends tradition and modern elements of music that reverberate through you.
"IMAGO isn’t just a piece of work; it is a piece of both Pett and Clausen-Knight; their every emotions, experiences, and understanding add truth to the piece, which can only come from understanding lived experiences."
IMAGO doesn’t try to tell you what you should feel or what you should see. One has to appreciate and understand that there is a wealth of emotion within this piece that is honest and raw. Pett and Clausen-Knight have created a performance that is masterful, heartfelt, and truly engaging. With this honesty, there is also heartbreak, regret, and sadness, which is a testament to the duo's willingness to create a piece that challenges perceptions of love, relationships, and the toxicity and ego that can arise when we try to forge connections. IMAGO isn’t just a piece of work; it is a piece of both Pett and Clausen-Knight; their every emotions, experiences, and understanding add truth to the piece, which can only come from understanding lived experiences. Focusing on the toxic nature of relationships is rare for a performance that might aim to create empathy for the characters. But by focusing on this, the duo has freed themselves to tell a narrative that is, ultimately, hopeful. As the climax arrives, there is much more physical contact between Pett and Clausen-Knight that does, on more than one occasion, create an emotional punch. And by the end, they leave us with two volatile, complex, scared beings calmly walking side by side.