Review: KITES, VAULT Festival

Irish theatre company LipZinc brings a cute tale of friendship and femininity to VAULT Festival. Writer and performer Tzarini Meyler follows two girls from afternoons spent flying kites to maturity in post-war Cork. She's joined by Ana Canals as Angela, who moves to her mum's Irish hometown from Spain after her dad dies. Their cultural clash smooths just like Angela's accent does as their bond solidifies.

They play and talk and dance in scenes tied by the voiceover of an older woman (Kate Firth) who makes a bedtime story out of their lives. From childhood to womanhood, female affection hasn't changed much according to Meyler's perspective. While Kites is a lovely piece of theatre, it would perhaps benefit from a longer running time so she can explore the themes she hints at, instead of discarding them quickly.

Meaningful passages get lost in the wind as the narrative unfolds and Kitty and Angela's intimacy grows. Meyler seems to hint at a homosexual subtext, but leaves it up in the air without much acknowledgement. The pair share a profound look before pulling away, overwhelmed or maybe ashamed. Sexual orientation isn't the only element that creeps up subtly but remains unaddressed.

Angela is scarred by the war, Kitty lives in an abusive home. The implication that they're kids and they don't really know how to speak about certain experiences isn't enough to grant this uneven approach. Still, the show displays all the elements necessary to develop into an accomplished biographical fiction. Strong performances and exceptional chemistry would blossom further with more attention to detail.

Meyler's empathetic style has the capacity to make this a polished drama filled with escapism. Her writing has a bittersweet vein, vividly depicting how the weight of expectations can mar and taint the power of imagination. It would be interesting to see Kites focus more on the character's reality and how Irish history comes into play as they bury their feelings for one another and plunge into melancholic disillusionment.

The company have a clear vision, starting from Connor Dee's soothing instrumental music that plays before the show starts. It sounds like something straight out of a Ghibli film and gives it a magical vibe from the get-go. The actors are colourful against the black-box stage by Rory Meyler while costumes come out of cardboard boxes as for a dress-up playdate. Ultimately, the text just needs a tad more depth for Kites to achieve its full potential.

Kites runs at VAULT Festival until 12 March.

VAULT Festival has been left without a venue for next year. You can contribute to the #SaveVAULT campaign here.

Photo Credit: Juan Sánchez

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