They have been coy about Robert Lepage's new theatrical extravaganza at Northern Stage - soliciting the opinion of audience members but discouraging media reviews. The reason seems to be that this is a "work in progress", the complete - and even longer - version of which will return to the UK (though not to Newcastle) in 2009. They want the judgmental powder kept dry. But you can't see this extraordinary piece of work, a co-production with Hexham's Théâtre Sans Frontières, without wanting to talk about it. The first of only five UK performances started at 6pm on Monday and ended at 11.20pm, including two intervals. I was gripped from start to finish. It is an epic piece and it opens in epic style with an opera singer performing an aria from Gorecki's Symphony No. 3. This is Ada, the first of seven people whose intertwined stories will unfold over the following hours. Next we are on a plane from Frankfurt to London. A young mother dies on the plane. As a doctor strives to save her, her wailing baby is placed in Ada's arms. Ada will later learn that the young woman was an illegal immigrant from Nicaragua on route to Montreal. She will adopt the baby. He will grow up and become an aspiring film-maker in the United States. Story rolls into story, each adding another layer of intrigue until all comes together in a climactic crash of myth and whodunit. Amazingly, this complex plot - still with some gaps - was the result of improvisation by Canadian director and maestro Lepage and his talented, international cast of nine. You will marvel at them, but perhaps even more at the technical team. Lipsynch, an exploration of voice, speech and language, is played out on a constantly changing set. One minute we are on a plane, the next on the London Underground and the next in a film studio. Lights, music and particularly film projection are integral to the piece and out of the kaleidoscope some truly unforgettable images persist - such as that of the baby boy, Jeremy, now grown up and flying to a new future with the ghost of his mother gracefully dancing along the fuselage of the plane. If you can get a ticket for this once-in-a-life-time theatrical experience, you are unlikely to regret it. | 
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