Captivating cry for something different

The Offering. Omar Musa and Mariel Roberts. Photo by Peter Hislop

Music / The Offering

Omar Musa & Mariel Roberts Musa. 

At the B, Queanbeyan, August 8 2024

 

Reviewed by Rob Kennedy

The Offering presented captivating music, poetry and theatre that drew from oral histories, delving into topics of environmental harm and the concept of belonging.

Omar Musa, poet, rapper and novelist and cellist Mariel Roberts Musa, who were recently married in New York, brought their show to Australia after performing it overseas.

The protagonist in The Offering, hailing from a country devastated by environmental catastrophe, embarks on a journey through a plastic ocean to a legendary volcano. He intends to end his life through self-immolation, but discovers enlightenment and a glimpse of a borderless world instead.

Voice and manipulated cello, these sounds tell the story of a world floating in water. It’s also the story of water. In between the words, the cello with sliding notes, some distorted, amplified over a track of beats and ambient sounds, and a profound journey. This is what was offered.

Getting the audience in tune with the performers was also part of the experience. Breathe in, breathe out, was the mantra. In a meditation of sound and thoughts through action, Omar stood tall while almost singing in a performance that crossed dynamism and subtlety.

The story moved to pollution; the effects of wilful environmental destruction imbued the narrative. There was a sense of nothingness as we got to watch ourselves drowning in a sea of garbage and memories. It was more than a story. It was a vision. But not a vision of the unreal, it was an image of the frightening reality of what we have done to the world, and each other.

Mariel Roberts Musa. Photo: Peter Hislop

Mariel plays her cello with an amazing dexterity. Creating sound combinations not thought possible from this instrument. A rapid percussive, highly rhythmic deep sound world exuded from her hands and mind, with loops that swamped the audience into a deep, water-like immersion.

The story is well-thought-out. Some of it in Malay. It’s complex and intense, yet the language is clear, the feeling more than apparent. Like a radio play, there were many elements in The Offering. It was powerful, rhythmical, and poignant.

Omar’s performance was almost all from memory. Over an hour of thousands of lines, the singing, the connected and timed body movements added to the tale. It was also a journey into Omar’s past through his parents’ and grandparents’ history, which has shaped him today.

In the end, it was a shout-out. A cry for something different, something better than what we have. It screamed survival and resilience. It was moving, theatrical, fun and profound; it had the audience captivated.

First published at Canberra City News, August 9, 2024