Flying into Daylight - Review - Live Theatre

Flying into Daylight
Live Theatre
2nd Dec 2014


Flying into Daylight is a new play, based on the real life experience of actress Victoria Fischer,  written (and co-directed) by Ron Hutchinson.

It's a simple story. A love story, the story of a girl and journey, a dance. The tango - only a dance, but so, so much more than a dance! It begins, we are told, in darkness. It holds danger, and passion, and romance and desire. It is a language and an artform and a whole world within an embrace. It is a dance to warm the small, cold, English heart.

What happens when you have a brush with death, and a chance meeting in a lift gives the opportunity to break away from the mundane, to find something in life that is more than "just the job?" Do you take the chance, or do you play it safe, do the sensible, English thing?
Virginia, chooses to take the chance. She breaks out of the mundane, and follows her heart to Buenos Aires to learn the tango, and in doing so learns how to live. Summer Strallen beautifully captures the emotional journey Virginia makes - the boredom, the excitement, the anticipation and trepidation and the passion.

The male characters are played by Jos Vantyler from the staid, sensible, unadventurous English fiancé Phil, to Marco the tango teacher, Argentinian, sexy, seductive, dangerous. Jos gives an exceptional performance: he slips from one character to the next seamlessly, yet at no point is the audience left wondering which character they are with - a flick of his cuffs, an unbuttoned shirt, and finger-tousled hair style, transform him from fiancé, father, doctor, boss, hotel owner, to Marco.

All this set against a simple backdrop, cleverly lit - spotlights and projected images, and the music of Julian Rowlands as much a part of the play as the actors and the dance.

This is a play about finding oneself - taking the risk and choosing to live and love. I is funny and moving. It is absolutely not the tango you will see on Saturday night TV - it is not a glamorous exhibition dance - it is full of life, and has more grit than glitz. Virginia's story is a simple one - it starts in darkness and it flies into daylight!

You can see it at Live Theatre until Dec 20th.

Denise Sparrowhawk