Danny Boyle has directed a live stage adaptation of The Matrix to officially open Manchester’s new Aviva Studios. Rather than being a direct retelling of the classic 1999 film, the piece, called Free Your Mind, is billed as “The Matrix… Now”. Boyle collaborated with choreographer Kenrick “H2O” Sandy, composer Michael “Mikey J” Asante, set designer Es Devlin and writer Sabrina Mahfouz to bring the work up-to-date with new parts about algorithms and big tech corporations and to explore its relevance to themes such as AI and climate change. The show features about 50 dancers and is running until 5 November.
Boyle admitted that when he watched The Matrix in 1999, some of its themes went over his head. However, he has grown to appreciate the film’s commentary on “the role of artificial intelligence in our lives, and how it’s growing, and what that does to our perception of questions [about] whether we are free or not,” and its depiction of the non-binary nature of its casting. The film’s proposed metaphor for the transgender experience now chimes with current trends towards intersectionality.
The show uses famous slow-motion bullet-dodging shoot-outs and martial arts-inspired fight sequences to tell the story through dance, and audiences are encouraged to enjoy themselves first and foremost. “We’re trying to provoke people into [thinking about] what this digital revolution looks like, and when do we see it as harmful or helpful?”, Asante said. “We want them to enjoy themselves regardless of the messaging because I think that’s one thing The Matrix did very well,” he added.
The adaptation is part of a £240m project and is the official launch show for Manchester’s new Aviva Studios. Developed as part of the Northern Powerhouse, the 1,600-seat theatre and 5,000-person “warehouse” were expected to cost £110m when they were announced by the government in 2014. However, the construction took four
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More