Lorna Irvine finds the touring production 'quietly shattering'.
A visually ravishing evocation of pain and loss, Ramesh Meyyappan's Butterfly is truly special.
Ashley Smith as Butterfly, a kite maker, is so fragile, innocent and graceful that it is nothing short of devastating when she is attacked. She is pinned down like a butterfly, first by lover Nabokov (so named as the writer Vladimir Nabokov was a keen admirer of lepidopterology--the collecting of butterflies) then by a Customer.
Co-stars Meyyappan as Nabokov and Martin McCormick's performances are equally well judged--their respective charm taking a turn for the brutal. Darren Brownlie's dark choreography complements David Paul Jones' haunting, minimal score.
Trapped and pregnant, Butterfly escapes into a fantasy world where she feels safe, ultimately meeting tragedy. Not always an easy watch, Butterfly is nonetheless, quietly shattering.
www.rameshmeyyappan.com
www.thearches.co.uk
www.manipulatefestival.org
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