The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk – online
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
The beautifully told The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk by Kneehigh will be performed live on stage at Bristol Old Vic, and broadcast digitally for four special performances this December. The production will then be available for audiences to watch on-demand from Friday 11 December to Saturday 18 December.
The performance came up north to play at HOME in April 2018 – if you missed this stunning production then – you’ve got another chance to watch it.
The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk presents a striking and non-romanticised view of love and art.
The award-winning production tells the story of Russian-Yiddish artist Marc Chagall and his wife Bella. Set in the Jewish community of Vitebsk, the love story plays out against the backdrop of some of the most major historical events to happen in the twentieth century – from the Russian Revolution to the Communist pogroms and the Nazi’s systematic killing of Jewish people.
The whole story is told vibrantly by two actors, with two musician/ performers who provide a wonderfully folksy score and also assist at points in the production. Directed by Wise Children’s Emma Rice, the young couple move effortlessly together in the space – their stylised physicality reminiscent of the weightlessness suggested in Chagall’s Expressionist paintings.
The real appeal of the production comes in the way that it blends different performance and storytelling styles together. Using song, direct dialogue, balletic dance sequences and sharp visual imagery, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk becomes as much a magical work of art as one of Chagall’s own paintings.
A truly unmissable show.
Partners in life and on canvass, Marc and Bella Chagall are preserved as the ultimate picture of romance. However, whilst in his paintings they flew, in their real lives, they walked through some of the most devastating events to ever happen. The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk presents a striking and non-romanticised view of love and art – a truly unmissable show.
