Review: Tethered at The Pleasure Garden
Tethered at The Gold Digger at The Pleasure Garden
Friday, February 9, 2024
Following up Theatre of Bondage and Bound to You earlier in the decade, Perth shibari artist Dany Cox returned to Fringe World to complete a trilogy in 2024 with Tethered.
There was a palpable frisson of excitement running through the crowd as they queued for the performance, which only heightened when they were let inside. The dark, hot tent was filled to the brim with a diverse audience of both the curious and the already converted. An intimate theatre in the round with a single focus point to concentrate on, The Gold Digger was a most fitting venue for this piece.
Having a live pianist at the back of the stage was a fantastic choice. It allows the performance to be more organic than anything pre-recorded could be and gives the audience a different auditory experience every night. At points, the music even came to the forefront as more recognisable compositions were looped into the hour.
The muse came out on stage in a beautiful white nightdress, a striking contrast with her deeply tanned skin, and assumed her position in the spotlight. The artist then revealed himself, bathed in red light, slowly circled his muse, sat behind her, and began to work.
As the artist tightened the ropes across her skin, the audience shared in every tactile sensation she both enjoyed and endured. From the uncontrolled automatic half-smile when a knot was slowly grazed over her shoulder blades to both the agony and ecstasy shown on her face when raised to the rigging point, her reactions were totally authentic and unscripted.
The artist constantly checked in on his muse and touched his face to hers with gentle whispers of encouragement. The level of trust involved is perhaps even more striking than the heat of the act itself. The technical ability of the ropework was both beautiful and astonishing, as the artist manipulated his human canvas into multiple positions in mid-air.
At the end, just as the artist let her feet touch the ground, she immediately ascended to the top of the venue, an angel all in white, before descending again into the spotlight she began the evening in.
Shibari, especially public performance shibari, is inherently voyeuristic, and tonight was no different. Never has a Perth Fringe audience focused so intently on an entire hour-long act. Never has a Perth Fringe venue been so quiet. Other than the piano, all one could hear was air conditioning, muffled coughs, and pin drops. There were four applause points during the show and a sustained ovation at the end, but other than that, it was almost total silence.
Tethered was an hour of beauty and art, with a packed audience that loved and appreciated every second. It may be a slower burn than the usual bawdy and loud Fringe fare, but Cox and collaborators have delivered a performance brimming with authenticity and wonder.
PAUL MEEK