This thoughtful full-length dance production by Marcus Jarrell Willis (his first as artistic director of Phoenix) celebrates the centenary of James Baldwin, the African American author of Giovanni’s Room (1956), which deals with themes of sexuality and guilt. Willis has unpacked Baldwin’s ground-breaking novel into thought-provoking dance theatre, dealing sensitively with the sexual torment of David, superficially a heterosexual man with a fiancée (sensitively portrayed by Dorna Ashory) but falling for Italian bartender, Giovanni with the intensity of their relationship told in flashbacks from Giovanni’s room.
David’s confused sexuality was superbly essayed by Teige Bisnought, his psychological turmoil given further emphasis by Marc Strobel’s percussive score. Jacob Hughes’ set presented a ...
