‘Last Touch First” starts off slowly — literally. In fact, most of this hourlong performance piece is danced at a crawl, and yet it crosses the finish line.
The piece is based on Czech-born choreographer’s Jiřřrřřřřřří Kylián’s 2003 “Last Touch,” which worked with much of the same material. American expat Michael Schumacher, who’s now living in the Netherlands but has had a long career here and abroad, helped Kylián rework this enigmatic physical theater, which recalls off-Broadway’s spooky hit “Sleep No More” — only without the aerobic racing up and down stairs.
Set to an eerie recorded score of isolated piano and voices, the dark stage is draped in drop cloths, and seemingly lit by a single candle. Three men and three women in Victorian garb face us, at first motionless, as if posing for a portrait.
The action starts simple and at a snail’s pace — the cast plays cards or pours drinks. But things aren’t always what they seem. What looks in slo-mo like an attack is really a man covering a woman’s eyes in a game of “Guess Who?”
Gradually, things get more off-kilter. A woman holds out her hand and a man tilts the candle and drips wax into it. And then things get even weirder, as another man (Schumacher himself) bites his partner’s hand, and she almost smothers him with her skirt.
The more eerie and violent the atmosphere becomes, the more it grabs you. There are some great, simple effects, including a mirror that is both a reflecting glass and a source of light.
Yet for all the atmosphere and theatrical skill, there isn’t a lot of genuine emotion. Don’t even try to figure out who these people are or what’s eating them — you won’t find that out here.
The show needs editing, especially at the opening and close, but despite the occasional misstep or padding, “Last Touch First” nails down a terrific finale. A woman crosses the stage toward the glowing mirror. The rest of the cast gathers at the front, pulling the drop cloths and all the scenery on top into a mass, as the stage goes to black.
If the show hadn’t kept going on another five minutes, it would have been a perfect ending.