As someone who has seen very little theater, before this trip I don’t know if I’d ever seen a live piece of art that truly moved me. In fact, I’d argue nearly every piece of art that has truly evoked some serious emotion from me has either been from the written word (Poems, Books, etc) or, more importantly, film. I lead with this not to talk down upon theater, I adore theater, moreso to highlight where I’m coming from when I say that Bluets is my favorite thing I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing on this trip. While I sat down to see a piece of theater, I left having watched the only instance of what I’m dubbing “live film” I’ve ever seen. Is it still theater? Of course, but it’s also a crossover of genres that truly has to be experienced to understand what I mean.
So as I sat there in seat F16, looking upon the odd stage setup, with cameras for 2 separate angles, my first emotion was one of confusion. Why were there cameras and televisions topped with LED light strips on the stage? Moreso, where were the actors supposed to move around as the machinery left little playing room for our 3 stars? My head continued to buzz with these questions as the lights dimmed and our 3 identically dressed actors stepped out onto stage. Then as the screen turned on and the cameras clicked awake, our middle performer opened their eyes and uttered the line, “Suppose I were to begin by saying that I had fallen in love with a color…” From that point forward my neck was locked, eyes were pointed, and what was often passive enjoyment turned into an active participation, hanging on every word.
To deviate from the technical elements for a moment I should touch on the script. Bluets is not a traditional play, in fact, it reads and sounds more like a piece of poetry. There is a story, yes, but only one character that we follow. That character is a mirror, never fully named, the three actors who are in order male, non-binary, and female stand to show us a spectrum of different voices living with a mutual struggle. They talk with a similar cadence, they move similarly, they stare with the same cold distance, and while in theory, they are different it’s like staring into an opal reflecting a beautiful pattern that culminates into one breathtaking, coherent image. The story is simple, it’s a tragedy interspersed with daydreams of when life felt more normal. Blue as a color is simply meant to show the protagonist’s worldview shifting, an obsessive need to understand the newfound lens their world is shaped under by focusing on the most sorrowful of colors. A lens shaped by erotic daydreams of a lost lover, the experience of being unable to help a friend, and eventually the recognition that time moves on, that we move on. Honestly, I could go on for hours about the writing but my description would just be a cheap retelling of something better experienced by reading or watching.
Similarly, I don’t know if I can describe the visual storytelling in a way that does it justice but I’ll still try. Think of a 3 camera sitcom with a live studio audience, now imagine they did that for something with the emotional intensity of In the Mood for Love. Shots are done practically, with our actors standing and walking in front of pre-filmed backdrops, performing every close-up live with small movements of lips that say 1000 words more than any line dialogue. I could probably monologue and convolutedly throw out fragmented thoughts about this style of live performance all day long but for the sake of whoever’s reading this and the pounding headache I have while writing this, Bluets’ filming style is best conveyed by a quote I heard a few years ago.
“A FILM IS NEVER REALLY GOOD UNLESS THE CAMERA IS AN EYE IN THE HEAD OF A POET.” – Orson Welles
Bluets is the truest depiction of the eye in the head of a poet, except you get to see it unfold right in front of you. It’s heartbreaking, erotic, and bordering on rambling but it’s also perhaps the rawest piece of art I’ve ever seen.
Theatre in London U of A 