Directed and Choreographed by Kate Prince. Based on the songs of Sting. With ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company. Sydney Opera House. 25 – 29 Oct, 2023.
On the face of it, none of this should work. The music of Sting mixed with contemporary hip-hop dance, and a story about the plight of refugees. But choreographer Kate Prince, and her outfit ZooNation, have pulled off a minor miracle in creating Message in a Bottle. Or, to put it another way… every little thing she does is magic!
The idyllic life of a family unit of loving parents and three children is torn apart by war. As they are forced to flee the conflict, tragedy befalls them at every turn. Separated over time, we track each sibling as they try to overcome the horrors they’ve seen and find a new life and hopefully love and joy at the same time.
The beauty of using dance to tell this desperately heavy story is the lightness of touch it brings. The show doesn’t shy away from violence, rape and the cruelties of the refugee system. but the moments are never didactic. Even the horrors of war and struggle are filled with dynamism and grace. Marvelling at the work of these dancers is the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.
Prince’s chameleonic choreography shifts with each scene, making inventive use of the set and staging (by Ben Stones) as it goes. Elements of krumping, popping, break dancing etc blend with lyrical contemporary. At one point, two dancers break out into a romantic pas de deux that hits like a breath of fresh air among the more acrobatic moments.
Sting’s music, reworked by Hamilton’s Alex Lacamoire (including all new arrangements and re-recorded vocals by Sting and other vocalists including Beverley Knight) plugs into the narrative of the lyrics and mines them for their emotional and dramatic heft. Many classic songs are reduced to a single verse or chorus in service of the main story. In lesser hands the thought of hearing “I’ll be watching you” sung over a prison scene would feel like it was in ludicrously bad taste, but the fresh arrangements and solid story keep things level.
And it’s remarkable how well the lyrics and melodies of Sting suit this storyline. Phrases like “sending out an S.O.S.” or “don’t stand so close to me” are recontextualised into something fresh. This may be a jukebox show, but it never descends into a lazy covers concert. Here the songs are working to drive the story.
Message in a Bottle can be serious at times but it is not depressing or dour. The music and movement make a show that is possibly more positive and life-affirming than it has any right to be. As the performance came to a close, the audience was instantly on their feet in one of the easiest and most well deserved standing ovations I’ve seen in a while. You’ve only got till Sunday (29 Oct, 2023) to see this beauty, so don’t wait!
Cultural Binge 
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