The ox was black, sleek, muscular; when it plodded into the spotlight, under the guidance of a wrangler, the stage crew and other rehearsing performers shifted tensely, as if each motion might mark the start of a faena.
Gyan Riley, a gifted performer, shifted between supporting the ostinato and pushing against it.
Then recordings came along, and the relationship between listener and performer shifted, became far more remote and abstract.
The performers, meanwhile, shift between jarringly different roles.
Actors and casting directors confirm that even with exceptions like Mr. Leonard, it remains extremely difficult for young performers to shift between forms.
Of course, though, it's not just big-name performers who shift seats: playwright Jez Butterworth has become something of draw since the global success of his last play Jerusalem.
The script requires each of the two performers to shift back and forth from first-person speaking to third-person narration; often they finish each other's sentences or one will admonish the other for exaggerating or correct the other's memory.
I'm not suggesting that there is anything morally suspect about performances such as Internal, and I find the dynamics of such performances where the traditional relationship between audiences and performers is shifted both fascinating and exciting.
The park reduced performers' work shifts, dropped managerial positions and even turned off the Dickensian gas lamps.
The passion and acrobatic energy of the young performers — their shifts from swinging each other about, singing, throwing eggs, joking, emoting, inviting audience participation — infuses the show with a sense of ambition the material never matches.
