Berkeley, CA (Top40 Charts/ Cal Performances) Eonnagata, a hybrid dance-theater production from director Robert Lepage's company Ex Machina that is "so unique and compelling that to miss it is something you will regret forever" (Toronto Star), will take to the Zellerbach Hall stage on Wednesday and Thursday, February 9 and 10 at 8:00 p.m. Conceived and performed by Lepage along with legendary French dancer Sylvie Guillem and celebrated British choreographer Russell Maliphant, Eonnagataexplores the life of Charles de Beaumont, Chevalier d'eon, an 18th-century French diplomat, soldier and spy, whose career exploits and fluid gender identity-he lived half of his life as a man and half as a woman-made him an audacious yet enigmatic figure. Eonnagata alternates between telling the story of the Chevalier and "meditating on the agonies and pleasures of a soul divided between sexual identities" (The Guardian). The late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, designed the costumes. "Collaborations don't come much more extreme than Eonnagata," wrote The Guardian. he name Eonnagata is derived from de Beaumont's courtly title and onnagata, a Kabuki theater technique used by male actors to represent women in a highly stylized fashion. The production itself is driven by the artistic passions and influences of its creators: director Lepage, who has for two decades pushed the limits of theater, mixes genres fearlessly and ventures into little-known dramatic territory while attracting a large, diverse and enthusiastic following; Guillem, a celebrated rebel of classical ballet, famous for her extraordinary physique, charisma, technique and bravery in exploring contemporary dance; and Maliphant, who blends martial arts, classical dance and technical elements such as lighting into masterworks that breathe fluidity and power. The production uses all three performers to illustrate and illuminate the multiple aspects of de Beaumont's life. The world premiere was presented by Sadler's Wells.
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