REVIEW: Echoes - A Carefully Crafted Performance

©️Echoes

Echoes presents a thoughtful exploration of the ideals of Ji Kang and the lives of the remaining Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles, the production brings this classic Chinese cultural story to life for an international audience, blending live music, physical theatre, and poetic storytelling.

Each of the sages is vividly drawn, with clear and distinct characterisation. Despite the number of roles, the performers maintain focus and clarity throughout, ensuring the audience can follow the unfolding narrative without confusion. The story is carefully structured, progressing scene by scene, and conveys themes of idealism, freedom, and the human confrontation with mortality through both dialogue and expressive physical performance.

The performance is authentic and measured, with elegance and grace balanced by fluid emotional expression. Live guqin and Chinese drum performances add a compelling layer to the storytelling. The drumming solo is visually captivating with white dust rising with each beat, while the guqin carries a transcendent presence that echoes Ji Kang’s spirit.

The stage, while handled with care, occasionally feels a little small for the scale and richness of this production. The team made thoughtful adjustments, but the work hints at its full potential in a more spacious setting.

In all, Echoes is a carefully crafted work. It blends the beauty of traditional Chinese music and culture with thoughtful theatrical storytelling, offering an engaging experience that reflects on life, death, and the pursuit of ideals in a complex world.

★★★★★

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/echoes

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Credits

Presenting Producer: Xu Jin
Supervising Producer: Jin Dong
Produer: Liu Liang, Ban Ruochuan, LüHuijun
Artistic Executive Producer: Jin Dong
Playwright: Tang Ling
Director: Hao Shanshan
Composer: Zhang Yixin, Fu Wenjie
Movement Director: Liu Meichi
Stage Design: Wang Zheng
Lighting Design: Wang Runjie, Meng Lingyang
Costume Design: Cao Tingting
Makeup Design: Liu Lian
Sound Design: Du Siliang
Graphic Design: HANG-DESIGN STUDIO
Executive Producers: Zhang Shuoqi, Guo Qi
Assistant Director: Fang Ge
Sound Execution: Shen Shuting
Makeup Execution: Ma Tengji
Cast: Yang Xi, Sun Jiayi, Gao Zifeng, Zheng Shengcong, Lu Yi, Wei Jianlong, Huang Yujialin, Yuan Xiaowen