If there is anything “freak cabernet” about the Dakh Daughters, it’s that they hug the freak within themselves. A troupe of six actors take up instruments, and in absolute punk spirit, play them unabashedly for 80 minutes. Dakh Daughters have one foot solid in drama traditions of the stage. The other foot is in its own brand of fearless creativity.
From societal pressure to “get married to a heavy drunkard” to man’s inability to control his mind (“that is why there is so much evil in the world”), featuring a projection of DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man, the Dakh Daughters aren’t afraid to get experimental. Throughout the performance, there are nods to everyone from Kurt Cobain to Chopin. There’s even a little ditty about a Christmas cat; the translation of “fluffy like a snow” is adorable, yet the Daughters don’t linger on cute for too long.
Performers Nataliia Charpe, Nina Garenetska, Nataliya Halanevych, Tetiana Havrylyuk, Solomiia Melnyk and Ganna Nikitina are well-known in Kiev as actors of the DAKH Contemporary Art Center and have been friends for a decade or more. Vlad Troitskyi, Director and Costume Designer for Dakh Daughters is the founder of the DAKH Contemporary Art Center. This performance is the product of a long-standing collaboration.
Driven by the political upheaval and community response happening in their home country, it’s an emotive cabaret that explores life’s tragedies and joys in marionette and whiteface. It all ends with a plea to end war. The Tuesday night crowd at the York Theatre met it with hearty applause. Dog barks and some plastic duck squeaks were emitted from some of the more “freakier” members of the audience.
Catch the rest of the Femme Series at the Clutch here!
– Juljka Nadir