Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery
Presented by Frantic Assembly and The National Theatre of Scotland in association with Barbican
York Hall, London
Frantic Assembly and The National Theatre of Scotland merge the physical and the visual to explore the motivation of those passionate about and engaged within the world of boxing. In Beautiful Burnout, four lads and a lass train under the roof of Bobby Burgess’s gym to become professional boxers. There’s Neil (Eddie Kay), whose opportunities get swept from under his feet, Ainslie (Henry Pettigrew) whose fascination with astronomy outgrows his passion for boxing, the vengeful Dina (Vicki Manderson), who reveals a sucker punch confrontation with the audience during the final fight, and the highly skilled and confident Ajay (Taqi Nazeer). Newcomer Cameron (Ryan Fletcher) has a natural affinity for boxing, yet his arrival knocks out a series of confrontations that lead to the ultimate battle between the skilled and confident boxer and the ambitious adrenaline frenzy beginner. Woven into the story is Cameron’s mother, Carlotta (Lorraine M McIntosh), engaged in a battle of her own, torn between the safety of her son and the stardom which the sport promises.
Each scene is punctured by stylized choreographed sequences that add an enthralling take on the violence, pain, and the sheer adrenaline rush of the sport. The movement is inspired by boxing moves and physical training routines, and often reveals an engagingly glossy image of fighting whilst also intervening in the action itself. In the match between Cameron and Neil, the stage begins to revolve as each punch is frozen in time and the opponent given the ability to reassess and plan his next strike. This is visual storytelling at its best, blending the visceral interaction of bodies colliding with a beautiful lighting design by Andy Purves that highlights the sweat, force and real danger between the crashing bodies. These interventions provide a fascinating insight into the physical language of boxing.
Despite the visceral confrontations onstage, we remain confidently safe observers of the action. This is perhaps the weakest aspect of the performance- we’re left as voyeurs rather than thrown in the midst of the fight. We never spend enough time with each character to engage with their anger, violence or motivations. This is why, throughout the performance, there’s an imbalance between wanting to explore the characters and engaging with the deeper realities of the sport, and in the end, it doesn’t deliver enough of either. For all its confrontations, the performance doesn’t quite manage to convey the inherent danger and exhilaration of boxing, skimming the surface of its subject matter.
Beautiful Burnout is a highly engaging performance about the physical commitments of the world of boxing. Despite its flaws, it’s an imaginative and successful portrayal of violence embedded in the sport. Complimented by the Underworld soundtrack and the cinematic interventions, as well as a highly committed cast, Beautiful Burnout is packed with evocative moments. The work also poses an essential question into the relationship between text, visual and physical storytelling onstage, as well as the ethics of representing violence in performance.
Tagged: Barbican, Frantic Assembly, National Theatre of Scotland