Review | Laura Money
If you could stop time, would you? And what would be the point if the one person you would stop time for, no longer existed?
Stuart Bowden is hard to review – how do you critique perfection? Of Moonset explores love and loss, grief and pain, and our insignificance in the universe through a series of original songs, spoken word, and clowning – it’s utterly beautiful. Bowden begins with his recorder and a loop machine – he weaves his gentle piping into an indie musician’s dream and begins at the beginning, really. That sounds trite, however Bowden takes his skills as a clown and puppeteers himself as an amoeba-like single cell organism that was the first life on earth – at once rendering his story wholly important and wholly insignificant.
It’s a gentle and sweet story – the love is tender and quirky, and ever-present, even when the players are not both there. Whimsical imagery of glow in the dark star suits, and 900 birthday candles shining brightly for the sunset that was missed evokes a depth to the love that deepens and wells with blackness when the man is left alone to grieve. Bowden’s imagery is so strong, you can see the hill and the bike, and the cardboard box the fridge came in. We observe grief and deep melancholy like a shell with googly eyes – Bowden conjures a world that is palpable and raw in its tragedy. He offers no answers, just invites us to sit in grief and contemplate our place in the universe.
The music laps at you like waves – it’s gentle and rolling, becoming intense and visceral at times. Bowden’s soundscape immerses you fully in the world of his deeply broken protagonist. It’s philosophical and psychologically introspective, and gets you thinking long after you leave the theatre. Of Moonset is simply stunning. Bowden gently takes your hand, shyly leads you up the hill to watch the moon, and then takes you through the rest of time in a beautiful hour that lasts a lifetime.
WHEN: 28th January – 1st February 2020 | 7:30pm
WHERE: The Studio | BLUE ROOM THEATRE
INFO: Pricing $29 | Duration 60m | Suitability PG | Mild occasional coarse language | THEATRE
INFO: https://fringeworld.com.au/whats_on/of-moonset-fw2020
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