Review: LUCID, RADA Festival

What is it that you dream about at night?

For some it's of wild encounters with wannabe lovers, for others its high-speed chases and mad adventures. New Public, the company behind this production bring lots of different ideas to the table. A story told through music and movement, Lucid is a tale of what happens when the imagination is allowed to go wild.

Featuring lots of colour and a huge amount of props, it's a show that contains so much and could at any time become too overwhelming for the audiences. However, the process' dramaturgy has ensured that every scene thematically links together. The performance goes off without a hitch; it's impeccably created and a testament to the group's work ethic.

A pure delight, the movement and physical comedy have been expertly weaved to create a sensory spectacle that highly entertains from start to finish. It's clear that there's a lot of talent in this performance collective and they have no problem showing it. Nothing is ever done for the sake of it looking good; each moment has been put in at a specific place because it has to be there.

It's rare to see a group so newly formed have such a raw gift for performance. The things that they've achieved in such a short space of time are a testament to what they'll go on to do in the future. I'm left without doubt that this is the foundation of something truly special, and New Public will soon be a leading figure within our industry.

We were also fortunate enough to see a preview of their newest show, White Noise. Despite only being a work in progress, the piece promised lots of exciting things and is sure to be as big of a hit as Lucid.

Find more about New Public's work on their website

Photo credit: Sarah Hickson