CHRIST ALONE

Commissioned by Sadler's Wells

Sadler’s Wells Theatre / 2024

The Clore, Royal Opera House / 2025

Upcoming film adaptation produced by Sunken Lane Productions with support from Sadler’s Wells

Jack Thomson Image
Andre Uspenski Image
Jack Thomson Image
Ian Hippolyte Image
Ian Hippolyte Image
Jack Thomson Image
Two women in vintage clothing wrapping their necks around one another in the foreground, a person in period costume standing with arms outstretched in the background, all in black and white.
Two women, one in a white dress and the other in black, are kneeling and holding each other intimately in a dark setting with candles nearby.

Christ Alone explores the distorted perceptions of someone consumed by an obsessive relationship with God. Rooted in lived experiences of growing up within Pentecostal Christianity, this piece is an unflinching depiction of the consequences of the Christian call to wholly surrender yourself to something or someone. The piece draws from biblical supernaturalism, ceremonial acts and the constant reimagining of Christian imagery in popular culture to evoke dysfunctional romantic dynamics.

Choreographer: Elisabeth Mulenga

Performers: Adhya Shastry, Kirke Gross, Magnus Westwell and Steffi Fashokun

Lighting Design: Amelia Hawkes (Sadler’s Wells Theatre) / Prema Mehta (Royal Opera House)

Composer: Damsel Elysium with additional trombone by Alistair Welsh & cello solo by Kirke Gross

Styling: Elisabeth Mulenga with additional costume by Annika Thiems

Artistic Mentors: SERAFINE1369 & Tim Casson

Photography: Jack Thomson, Deborah Jaffe, Ian Hippolyte, Andre Uspenski

“Christ Alone is probably the boldest piece I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the Royal Opera House.”

“There’s an undercurrent of fury in Mulenga’s work” — Lily King, Gramilano

“The dancers all play studied roles, some apparently on the edge of hysteria in this marked display of public ritual and buried truth.”

“Fellini meets Pina Bausch” — Nilgün Yusuf, The Reviews Hub

“An uncomfortably beautiful piece which expresses all aspects of religious obsession in an adolescent’s life.

Mulenga has created something truly thought-provoking with this piece, one which will intrigue many audiences and leave them discussing it for a very long time.”

- Annie King, Theatre & Tonic