Well, it may not be theatre as you categorise it, but its one of the most theatrical evenings I’ve ever had. This Flemish company bring a show to the Greenwich & Docklands International Festival which combines music with alchemy, providing a feast for the senses with things you taste and smell as you are mesmerised by the beauty of the music.
As we enter, we’re given a covered petri dish containing what appears to be food items. We’re told to wait until instructed before we consume them. We sit in a pentagonal formation surrounding a sort of laboratory / kitchen. In between each segment there are five musicians and a singer and ‘on stage’ three alchemists with small video screens above so that we can see what they’re concocting.
Over the next seventy-five minutes, we’re treated to sublime music from the 12th Century to the present day, including traditional music from Iceland, Norway, Portugal and Greece, played on a collection of exotic instruments, whilst the alchemists conjure up nine unusual things to taste, with smells occasionally introduced to the space by spray or incense. Some are in our petri dish, but most are served to us individually in a ‘here’s-one-I-made-earlier’ way.
The whole thing was spellbinding. I was drawn in instantly and captivated throughout. I was even given a recipe book as I left. One of the most original shows I’ve ever experienced.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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