Luminato 2013: The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic

Marina Abramovic and Willem Dafoe in The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic.

Originally produced at the Manchester International Festival, The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic is the theatrical biography of New York-based Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic, famous for testing the limits of her body and mind in the 1970s, and for recent exhibits such as "The Artist is Present" (2010), a 736-hour and 30-minute silent piece in which she sat immobile in the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art, while spectators (including Lady Gaga) were invited to take turns sitting opposite her.

Now on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre as part of this year's Luminato Festival, Robert Wilson's take on Abramovic's life is a visually stunning, avant-garde celebration of an extraordinary woman who is still alive to tell the tale of a troubled childhood and a remarkable career that continues to surprise audiences with its bold originality. Abramovic plays herself and her iron-fisted mother, alongside a wild, redheaded Willem Dafoe as the narrator, and ethereal music created and performed by Antony of Antony and the Johnsons.

The stylish production opens with three Marina look-alikes lying in identical coffins while a pack of dobermans prowl the stage sniffing and biting at a scattered pile of bones. A manic Dafoe counts off the years of Abramovic's life, listing each defining moment and eventually piecing together a picture of who she is today. The show also features the haunting vocals of Serbian singer Svetlana Spajic, and an ensemble of supporting performers in costumes by Jacques Reynaud, each a work of art in his or her own right.

Provocative and often uncomfortable to watch, The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic is much like the artist herself: brutally honest and unpredictable. Scenes don't always flow or fit together, but the eccentric production will definitely get your attention.

Fans of Abramovic's work should jump at this opportunity to see her life story unfold on stage. Catch The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic until June 17. Visit luminatofestival.com for more information and to buy tickets.

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