New York theatre Company Vertical Dreamscape (well named) invite us on a journey that few of us have experienced.

The US Pole Art Champion Donna Carnow and interdisciplinary artist Gina Alm are the yin and yang of this glorious production. Donna all tall and blonde, Gina all shorter and dark, they blend together in an athletic coming together of minds and bodies that is simply beautiful.

On the large Assembly Roxy stage, that’s monochrome-black with only a wire hanging from the grid, these two women, and a quite brilliant technical team, engross us in their artistry and athleticism that rushes by in an hour.

The show notes state that there are scenes of a sexual nature, but this feels overly cautious – this isn’t eroticism, its fine art. Pole dancing sends out signals that are easily misinterpreted, but this isn’t really pole dancing, it’s like trapeze artistry, but vertical, not horiziontal. and the ground-level work is just as interesting.

The lighting is phenomenal, with most of the show happening in a form of sillhoutte, one back light typically shapes the aesthetic.

The music is a trippy, techno, trance vibe and greatly adds to the impact of the show, with the stand out being a cover of 4 Non Blondes’ seminal ‘What’s up?’

And some of the symbolism is powerful in itself.  A bunch of balloons is redolent of Banksy’s Ballon Girl. Costumes are beautiful, in fact the whole vibe is just, you know, lush. A great hour of genuinely alternative entertainment.

Dusk/ Night/ Dawn is at Central at Assembly Roxy until Sun 30 Aug 2026