The poster for AGAPI AND OTHER KINDS OF LOVE displayed a solitary male reader with a book reciting poetry. The publicity said the show went for 70 minutes, so I was apprehensive before attending the Feb 28 performance at the Riverside Theatre Parramatta.  How could this solo poetry performance do the trick?

Do the trick it does, in very many ways. To start with, there is no book used actuality or even as a prop, in the actual show. The performance Is never staid or formal as suggested in the hero image. Instead all the language in this long verse poem, about seven type of love, in ancient Greece and today, are memorised and performed in great animation.

Eros, Filia, Filoxenia, Philautia, Storgi, Pragma and Agapi – the seven types structure the show. The interpretive poet in turn is above all, seeking exegesis and synthesis that finally exists in his own poem. This meta poem is all in the style of performance poetry tradition form has very much influenced writer and performer Luka Lesson. Luka takes the beat driven rap style which is ubiquitous in its reach, and transforms and re-charges it into an ambitious display of poetry genre, to a place where poetry of whatever kind rarely ventures.   

The show is a sequence of poems, but energy, emotion and projection is constant. It is like a blast of fresh air that reaches right into the audience and from the first lines engage. It was an exciting show, redefining the bounds between poetry and theatre, and re-fitting the traditions of poetry recitation. Gone is the self conscious, awkward poet figure – Luke is robust, a footballer poet, often loud and visceral. Our journey is like a rollercoaster of words supported steadfastly by the musical underscoring and accompaniments.

In content the show mixes references to ancient Greece, its philosophy and and its gods, and contemporary underground Athens. It is based on Plato’s The Symposium, its long buoyant narrative commences as Socrates declaims all that he learned from a secret lover, Diotima. The couple reincarnate on modern day Athens, as the show switches back and forth from ancient to current times.

I did like the sequence of the acropolis where the gods and philosophers come together as Athens appears as a spoked circle – each spoke a type of love. The lighting, projection and determined repetitive poetry and excited voice, triumphed in this imagined romantic sequence, in a style not seen enough in Australian poetry.

The script does not flinch in the face of layered historical and contemporary references: It moves in rapid fire across a bold narrative landscape that frankly is a unusual as it is impressive. The printed text displays sophistication in its format and expression – it is delightful that such production, on stage and print, occurs in Australian independent theatre.

‘Eyes like full moons

   Legs like the masts of ships

   We stood above the mouth of a river

   Tongued by the ocean’s rips’

Lighting by Laura Jade explored technology to add a complex entertaining layer to dramatic recitation. Music (composed by.James Humberstone} and played by Greta Kelly and her accomplice, was as diverse as it appealing. It included  musicology from ancient times and instruments such as violin, spike fiddle and synthesiser, as well as hip-hop beats derived from the contemporary Athens underground. The gestural playing of a digital device, along with the DJ playing recorded compositions, pleased, as did occasional songs typically including the two female musician. Their light female presences and voices were a constant appropriate balance.

I wondered if the whole presentation needed more ‘light and shade’ – that its towering forceful style was overdone. The musicians could have been used more, and pace and range varied. Poetry finally has more potential of rhythm and linguistic features that should be explored when spoken – the rhyming beat driven style of much performance poetry can celebrate spoken language as much constrain it, especially when the text is over 70 min of fast rendition. Hamilton was criticised for overdoing its own Rap styler, but that show has layers of movement, song and dialogue to embed its poetry.

The contemporary references suddenly became defined when projections of Athenian street riots were seen. I wonder if the focus on modern Athens finally limited both the universality of themes and the interest of a modern audience. Why not riots in other places in the world today, and images from around the world? The focus on all things Greece was fine for the legacy of the performer, and a thin link between the past and present Greek culture – however the work can further reach out to a much wider audience.

Finally, love is dialogic in all in incarnation or types. It is also typically gentle in its approach to the other. The full bodied dominating solo style works splendidly in many places but finally might seem out of step with its subject matter. A sweet lyricism was achieved several times with accompanying musicians and song, and on occasion, by Luka himself.

Produced by Vyvienne Abla, I do hope this group and talent continue to produce innovative poetic works and find audiences for their artistry. The current work is to be treasured.

Agapi & Other Kinds of Love
When: Thursday 29th February – Friday 1st March
Where: Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres – Corner of Church and Market St, Parramatta

Production photography by James Humberstone

Review by Geoffrey Sykes