The Venus Flower
The Venus Flower
Cscape Dance Company
Trebah Gardens
Take the wonderful writing skills of Anna Maria Murphy, the sublime choreography and direction expertise of Sally Williams and Helen Tiplady, the spellbinding story telling talents of Bec Appleby, Ollie Oakenshield, Angelina Boscarelli and Dan Harvey, mix them up with 100 dancers and an inspirational music score written and performed by Jim Carey, transport them to the garden heaven of Trebah and you are presented with a night to remember.
Set in 1854, The Venus Flower is the story of the Lobb brothers who travelled far and wide to bring exotic seeds back to their homeland to excite the taste buds and fire the senses. As the story unfolds and we follow the Lobbs on their travels through wild and fabulous lands, there are surprises hidden in the massive leaves of the gunnera, beautiful maidens chanting in the waterfall, fiery cooking in the bamboos. Don’t lose concentration for a moment – dancers and surprises are hidden in the unlikeliest places along the way. Where the Lobbs lead, so Eliza Harvey follows, in twisted torment, telling how she lost her husband to the brothers and their insane search for excitement. We become so lost in this amazing story that the 21st century is left far behind, as we walk and tension builds we feel that something incredible is coming for the finale, but nothing prepares us for the incredible end to our evening. As the walk ends and we step from the gardens onto the beach at the mouth of the Helford River a collective gasp is heard – the vision on the beach is simply breathtaking. With fires alight and dancers waiting at the sea’s edge the scene is surreal and dreamlike, a scene we will never forget, but that panorama quickly changes as both dancers and actors finish the night in a wild frenzy of Latin American dance – a dance so hot that even the tragic Eliza Harvey is overwhelmed by the rhythm and succumbs to the taste and sounds of foreign lands.
The Venus Flower is an absolute triumph for all involved; a testament to the creative talent that abounds Cornwall. Pure joy from start to finish.
Sheila Vanloo
July 2010
