Expect lots of dance, blended with mesmerising visual effects when you watch this 40-minute show at the Old Vic, which comes with a deeply powerful message. The Little Murmur begins with dancer Subhash Viman Gorania reading out his own school report, while stumbling over words that he finds difficult to read.
Dialogue is kept to a minimum throughout the show, instead Subhash tells his story about his struggle with dyslexia through the medium of dance. Between his foot-stamping counting and random words being thrown towards the audience, he poses the question ‘how long does it take to correct an error?’.
Aimed at kids aged 7+, lots of the younger audience at this point shouted out their answers, and this adds to the magic of what Subhash creates on stage: the impression of crowd interaction, which the kids love, and his own deeply moving inter monologue. Through his dance, we are given an insight into his internal struggles with himself and the bewildering world of papers and words that clutters and unbalances his mind.
Music is used throughout the show to emphasis the conflicts playing out inside of his mind while he navigates the confusing world of letters. Highlights included a breathtaking murmuration of swooping birds flying across the minimal stage set, which was paired with soothing music and impressively choreographed dance moves by Subhash – seemingly showing him flying away with his thoughts.
This was something his school report stated at the beginning of the show ‘that while he struggles to concentrate, he has an impressive imagination’, an experience echoed by many children with dyslexia. And throughout the show, the audience can experience first-hand the incredible journey his imagination takes them on.
There was also a high-action dance, where Subhash mirrors the movements of dancer Kallirroi Vratti. The two sometimes dance in harmony, but at other moments start attacking each other, showing Subhash’s internal struggles.
The finale sees a flurry of papers falling on the stage, while Subhash desperately attempts to contain and manage all of the pieces. Within the chaos, he finds his ‘A’ – a letter he had missed from his own name for 21 years.
He tells the audience that finding his ‘A’ gives him a sense of control but then the chaotic paper continues to fall. Again, the younger audience members loved the chance to interact with the play at this moment, with many claiming a blank paper for themselves.
Filled with moving metaphors and stunning projections, this play leaves crowds with plenty of messages to digest in the days, or even weeks, after the play has finished and offers a rare insight into the beautiful mind and imagination of someone with dyslexia.
The Little Murmur is at the Old Vic’s Weston Studio until Saturday, November 2