The Four Horsemen Project - Titillating, but Unsatisfying
The Four Horsemen Project is a “multi-disciplinary extravaganza” based on the work of four experimental poets from Toronto in the 80s who called themselves the Four Horsemen. The production is certainly psychedelic. And dated. Experimental poetry is fun, but it is no longer new enough to warrant a 90 minute production without something else to hold our interest. The Four Horsemen Project is essentially a staged concept exercise. It’s slick and clever, but it left me craving a deeper meaning.
Almost an interactive documentary on the Four Horsemen themselves, almost a story about the relationships of the characters of the current performers, almost a story of discovering visceral “sound poetry” and its importance in our society, Volcano Theatre didn’t take any of these great ideas quite far enough. The result was titillating, but unsatisfying.
The project revolves around the idea that poetry is more than just words. Poetry is performance. The sound of the words, the voice, the body and the visual experience are just as (if not more) important than the words themselves. Multimedia was used in a genius way and the lilting of the performers voices was reflected on the walls and floor, like a simulated synesthesia. There were also some fantastic moments when human and video would be in relationship with one another, interacting in a delightful way. That high level of integration is what brought the performance into the 21st century.
Some of the utilized mediums fared better than others in the execution. The poetry itself was surface level word play, more cute than clever. Fun for its own sake but without any deeper paradox or twist. The dancing was good, but superficial, too indicative of the already banal text, which lead some of the “numbers” to feel more like children’s songs or games than poetry. I kept thinking how much my 12 month year old niece would really enjoy it. I fully intend to track down and memorize the “A Poem is in your Body” piece so I can teach it to her.
The transcendent multimedia-scape included clips from a documentary about the Four Horsemen which I found to be extremely interesting. (Although the narrator was a rather comical looking character which lead the audience to laugh derisively every time he came on screen making it hard to hear what he said.) One of the quotes was something like: poetry is words that reveal a deeper meaning. And that’s what I felt was missing. There were words, there was beauty, but the meaning was all on one level.
The Four Horsemen Project is an experiment. And successful one. The purpose of this piece was to bring the work of these poets to a wider audience. And that has been done. But I want more! Almost all the elements of a truly astounding production are already present, so I hope the success of this initial project will lead to the creation of some original work that will take these ideas further and build upon them to create a deeper, more relevant and more meaningful experience.
As a concept showcase this piece is a resounding success, a real triumph of artistry. I am impressed, now I just want to care.