Meg Stuart is built to last

(© Tine Declerck)

Meg Stuart’s Built to Last, in the autumn of 2012, was one of the most memorable productions of the year. In the performance, which is being staged again at the Kaaitheater this week, three men and two women play around with the heritage of some great composers. For her first work to be set to classical music, Stuart worked closely with the Brussels-based pianist, composer, and musicologist Alain Franco. He provided a breathtaking soundtrack that trampled on just about all the rules that apply in traditional academic circles. Franco brought milestones into collision with each other, including Stockhausen’s Hymnen, Beethoven’s Third Symphony, and Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire. These musical benchmarks ring out in a crazy set: a human terrarium, a fake star system made of inflatable balls, and a plastic dinosaur. The five performers – we particularly remember a demonic, exceptionally passionate Davis Freeman – move like vulnerable robots. Like grotesque dolls, they don’t know what to do with their emotions. Ultimately, Built to Last is about falling down and picking yourself up again, or about learning through trial and error. Again and again, out of the chaos on the stage a tragic picture of humanity emerges. Although doomed to fail, humanity, against its own better judgement, keeps on trying. Built to Last is an extraordinary performance – moving, grating, irritating, and cheering. As an attractive bonus, on both evenings, before the show (at 7 pm each time), Franco presents A History of Editing: Editing History, a talk (in English) in which he outlines his personal take on the (de)stabilising role of music in society.

MEG STUART/DAMAGED GOODS & MÜNCHNER KAMMERSPIELE: BUILT TO LAST 9 & 10/1, 20.30, €8/12/16, Kaaitheater, square Sainctelettesquare 20, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-201.59.59, www.kaaitheater.be