Dance review: Insane In The Brain

Published on Sunday 25 October 2009 21:06

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE ****

IT'S HARD to imagine a less likely location for a dance show than a psychiatric hospital. Or, indeed, a more bizarre genre to tackle mental illness than street dance. Yet, despite the odds, Insane in the Brain by Swedish company Bounce succeeds in being entertaining, funny and, ultimately, incredibly moving.

Based on Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – better known for its film version starring Jack Nicholson – the show gets off to a slightly shaky start. Adding fuel to the argument that dancers and spoken text go together like cake and gravy, the cast attempts a group therapy session, with stilted results. Far better that they let their well-trained bodies do the talking, giving physical gestures to a range of mental issues.

The regressive Miss Martini parades around the stage like a child, schizophrenic Mrs Taber switches styles mid-step and the stuttering Bill Bibbit pops his body nervously. It's not easy to tell a story coherently through dance, but for those familiar with the original the action is surprisingly simple to follow.

Brought in for observation, bad boy Randall McMurphy (Nicholson's character) brings a lively chaos to the ward, invigorating his fellow-patients. Much to the horror of ballet-loving Nurse Rached, he brightens up the exercise yard with streetdance routines, takes the entire ward on a cinema trip (a hilarious silent movie pastiche) and gets them all hideously drunk. After which, McMurphy pays the price with a life-changing lobotomy and a surprisingly tear-inducing ending.

Operating without a director or choreographer, Bounce works as a collective – each member taking turns to create a scene. Subsequently, no two routines are alike, and a fresh, accessible quality pervades the entire show, both musically and choreographically.