A controversial historical figure, Charles de Beaumont, Chevalier d'Eon, is the inspiration behind Sadler's Wells' audacious world premiere of Eonnagata. A triumvirate of talents comprising dancer Sylvie Guillem, choreographer Russell Maliphant and theatrical director Robert Lepage, have collaborated to present and perform the life-story of this (18 soldier, swordsman and spy. Crucially, the Chevalier was also a transvestite, and the production explores permutations of gender - its three protean stars assuming and exchanging male, female and 'middlesex' versions of the hero. Naturally, their meeting of minds provided fertile ground for the cross-pollination of ideas and presentation. Furthermore, they have drawn upon the ancient Kabuki technique of Onnegata in which stylised interpretations of female roles are portrayed by male actors, thus exploring the morphic nature of sexuality.
       Something of an anomaly, the cross-dressing diplomat's true identity was unknown by the public, to the extent that bets were taken towards the end of his life. An astonishing hybrid of theatre and dance, Eonnagata and its creators want the audience to consider the possibility that the Chevalier was both male and female. This conceit is pivotal to the performance: but it is - as they say - a big ask. Many magical moments and movements are conjoured from the three protagonists - poetic sword-wielding by Lepage, serpentine agility from Malliphant, and leggy pyrotechnics when a goaded Guillem composes a letter in defence of honour - however, the pretensions of the theme can verge on the bathetic. Happily, instances of this are in the minority and sophistication, not sophistry, triumphs.
       Lighting designer Michael Hulls, produces effects which are close to works of art themselves. Showers of irradiance, shafts of windowpane aglow and shimmers of stippled gloom make darkness visible, illuminating stage and dancers and replacing props (with the exception of all-purpose table frames which are manipulated - not altogether successfully - apace with events) by articulation and counterpoint. The ballerina's silhouette, fretted and changeful behind a back-lit screen is one particular image of genius. Hulls has worked closely with Maliphant for 15 years and is at the top of his game.
     Another coup de theatre, is the involvement of couturier Alexander McQueen, who has hitherto resisted the siren-call of costume design, but at Guillem's invitation and the promise of full artistic input, became an intrinsic part of the work. To a base of anatomy-enhancing body-stockings with ambivalent padding at the hips or crotch, he adds a second layer comprised of kimonos, crinolines or military uniform in a fantasy of 'Louis Quinze, Kabuki and (21 couture'. The results are outstanding and (with the exception of a be-wigged Widow Twanky ensemble which borders on parody) so heart-stoppingly beautiful, that it would be a crime if this remains McQueen's sole foray upon the stage.
     Long-standing Lepage collaborator, Jean-Sebastien Cote, is the third pillar to uphold the night's creative proscenium. His varied and stimulating soundtrack references everything from Bach, Pergolesi and Gluck to stirring jazz notes and gut-churning modernity. Pun-forgiving, it strikes just the right note - an off-key fusion of historical allusion and stimuli. The cast's soliloquies can jar, however. Canadian Lepage is the most articulate of the three, while Guillem's introduction outlining the three sexes of our ovoid ancestors may be mis-judged.
     Catch this mutable mis-en-scene in one act while you can, for its confluence of expertise is unlikely to be replicated . Fine-tuning continues, and in the words of Lepage, 'the sense of bliss and discovery has intensified'. Avowedly in a state of flux and evolving daily as performed - Eonnagata's fractal form is a work in progress and, despite philosophical flaws, a rare example of pure performance art.
Caroline Kellett Fraysse