Review: Return to the Forest (Aviva Studios, Manchester)

Review by Eleanor Rose Clarke

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An enticing, magical production, Return to the Forest explores the present and the past through movement and music. The immersive show was brought to Aviva Studios at Factory International by theatre company Theatre-Rites and choreographer Gregory Maqoma. The collaborative pair are familiar with the Manchester theatre scene, with their play, The Global Playground, playing at Factory International’s Manchester International Festival (MIF) in 2021. They now bring a new production, with the talent of director Sue Buckmaster, to Manchester’s fresh cultural space, Aviva Studios, which opened in 2023. The museum exhibit is closing for the night, and the precious items are safely stored, alarmed and locked away. Aren’t they?

The piece begins as soon as the audience sets foot in the room, entering a museum exhibit displaying five items and being given the freedom to roam. As the gallery closes for the night, we become observers instead of participants, or so we may think. After the lights dim, a heist begins as five thieves break into the exhibit, but they find themselves learning more about the items on display than they ever could have imagined. With dance, puppets, magic and more, we are taken on a journey through the lives of these objects, the natural world and the power they possess when united with their history.

The premise of the show naturally evokes conversations around the ethics of museums and stolen art, but this is not the sole message. The overall feel of the show builds a sense of togetherness and joy, each section a suggestion of an object’s heritage. The piece gives each object a path to connect with their past and, through this, highlights our connection to the natural world, whilst rounding this out in a vibrant celebration of colour and movement.

The show’s creator, Theatre-Rites, is an award-winning theatre company that describes their work as “experimental, immersive and object-led”. Following Theatre-Rites’ ethos of tackling complex themes, this show caters to children and adults equally in its engaging form, yet suggestive topic. The interactive and immersive aspects work in favour of engaging the children, who are welcome to sit on the floor surrounding the stage and are occasionally given opportunities to help out the performers. The piece is advertised to families and children 8+, but this does not feel like children’s theatre. It is inclusive of every member of the audience, with elements of the production that are mesmerising to those of any age; it is truly a show for everyone. With inspired direction from Sue Buckmaster, a world-renowned puppet expert, who has worked with Theatre-Rites since 2002, there is complexity to each section of the piece, with new puppetry techniques, costumes and production aspects defining the story’s progression.

Gregory Maqoma’s choreography is captivating throughout the entire performance. Every sequence is defined by its movement, and both allow each of the five performers to lean into their unique style, whilst bringing them together as they travel in spirals around the circular stage. Maqoma’s long list of accolades comes as no surprise when watching this production, which holds a unique and engaging 90 minutes of storytelling through dance.

At its heart, this is an ensemble piece, and each performer shines within the group. Dancers Mayowa Ogunnaike, Natnael Dawit and Xolisile Bongwana carry the high-energy production with playfulness and emotion. Dawit’s ballet training stands out as a highlight, as he contorts his body in fascinating ways, while Ogunnaike holds the group together with her grounding force. Simon Palmer and Teele Uustani are the esteemed puppeteers who bring alive the beautiful creations which are designed by Buckmaster, along with Alison Duddle and Naomi Oppenheim. There’s humour in the performance, with stand-out physical acting from Palmer, Uustani and Bongwana, whose characters are animated in their joy, fear and intrigue. 

Frank Moon and Domenico Angarano’s sound design accompanies the piece perfectly, building on the sense of magic and wonder. The opening scene where the heist takes place is comical and immediately raises laughter in the audience, and the music plays a large part in. Another notable musical moment is the puppet tango, performed magnificently by Uustani, which is enchanting and majestic, though I will leave the details up to the imagination.

The vast space is used with consideration, split into two spaces in which the audience is taken from one to the next. The production aspects are clever and distinctive in a space that initially appears simple, but contorts with the use of lighting and props, which themselves add to the set. First entering the museum space, visitors are encouraged to take a close look at the objects. The lines between fiction and reality are blurred, and in all meanings of the word, this is an exhibit. The five objects are beautifully made, and you feel yourself wanting to reach out and touch them, despite the staff’s polite reminder that we are not to touch! The details are clever, such as gallery-like benches and the interior style maintaining a rather stripped-back, informal feel, so we do feel immersed in a studio. Moving onto the next room only adds to the intrigue, as we leave a space where we were allowed to explore and enter one we are unfamiliar with. In the museum, there is a sense that everyone knows what to expect, but this changes with the change of location.

A must-see for children and adults alike, Return to the Forest is set to visit Sadler’s Wells East in London at the end of the month, followed by Blackpool Grand in June. This production is a triumph of theatre and human-made art, which will captivate a new generation of theatre goers with its spellbinding story, carried through charming visual, audio and interactive aspects. It is an open-armed welcome to the weird and wonderful world of theatre, and let me just say, you may feel your feet start to tap, your legs start to move you onto that stage, and you might not be able to stop!

Return to the Forest is playing at Aviva Studios in Manchester until the 10^th of May. Get your tickets at: https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/return-to-the-forest/book-ticket/ 

Photos by Tristram Kenton