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Play Without Words -
The Housewarming. - Tour & Scottish Premiere .
Inspired by Joseph Losey`s film The Servant of the book of the
same name by Robin Maugham.
Devised and Directed by - Matthew Bourne.
Designer - Lez Brotherston.
Lighting Designer - Paule Constable .
Composer - Terry Davies
Choreographer - Matthew Bourne and the company .
Musical Director - Michael Haslam/Clive Dunstall.
Company - National
Theatre and New Adventures.
Dancers - here .
Venue - Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh
0131 529 6000.
Dates - 23 - 27 March, at 7.30pm. Thur & Sat mat at 2.30pm.
Tour Dates and Times - here
.
Seen to review at Edinburgh Festival Theatre on 23 March 2004..
Run Time - 1 hr, 45 min. including 20 min interval.
Reviewer - Vivien Devlin.
Brilliant danced homage to the sixties.
Play Without Words - New Adventures and National Theatre Production.
Belinda Lee Chapman and Richard Winsor.
© Hugo Glendinning 2004.
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Choreographer, Matthew Bourne has enjoyed spectacular critical and popular
acclaim in recent years with his fresh, often controversial, always original,
reinterpretations of classic works - Swan Lake [an all male cast]
and Nutcracker!. His choreography for My Fair Lady at the
National Theatre won him a Laurence Olivier award.
Bourne always likes to create something radical to challenge both himself,
dancers and audiences. The inspiration for this new piece is Losey`s dark
and menacing film The Servant [1963] starring Dirk Bogarde. Play
Without Words is a clever blend of dance, drama and film, dominated by
a scintillating jazz soundtrack which accurately captures the style of
1960s Swinging London. As does the ambitious set - an iconic montage of
Big Ben, double-decker bus, red phone box, Jean Shrimpton poster and Chelsea
street sign. In the centre a giant revolving staircase and swing doors
depict the upstairs/downstairs world of Anthony, suave man-about-town,
his girlfriend Glenda, his manservant Prentice and maid Sheila together
with friends and acquaintances.
Now this is where Bourne`s creative imagination kicks into play. Each
character is played by three dancers simultaneously. Imagine three immaculately
dressed, `Michael Caine` bespectacled men, and three pencil slim/skirted
Chanel-suited `Audrey Hepburn` clones, meeting, embracing, flirting, in
a series of intimate duets with subtle variations in each encounter. Imagine
Anthony being dressed and undressed by his servant, wittily performed
in slick unison and in an erotic fantasy it takes two to tango with the
uniformed maid.
From Chelsea townhouse to Soho stripjoint, the narrative is played out
through fast changing scenes and a brilliantly crafted jazz score, played
live on stage. The music illustrates and colours every nuance, mood and
situation. the opening blast of a solo trumpet to cool and laid back sax,
soft and seductive keyboards then shifting to a harsh and threatening
beat, [reminiscent of Bernstein`s streetgang scenes in West Side Story].
Play Without Words only proves once again Bourne's bold, original
and inimitable choreographic talent. This smooth, slick, sophisticated
dance-drama is a brilliant homage to the sixties capturing the wit and
humour without any hint of send-up. The whole cast are flawless, their
characterisations expressing their repressed sexuality hidden behind the
elegant fashions and social behaviour of the period. If you love dance,
jazz or 60s style, you`ll be mesmerised by this fabulous show.
©Vivien Devlin, 23 March, 2004 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
Other EdinburghGuide Reviews of Matthew Bourne's choreography - Nutcracker!
Cast: Scott Ambler, Sam Archer, Madelaine Brennan,
Belinda Lee Chapman, Theo Clinkard, Andrew Corbett, Saranne Curtin, Valentina
Formenti, Steve Kirkham, Michela Meazza, Eddie Nixon, Emily Piercy, Alan
Vincent, Ewan Wardrop and Richard Winsor.
Tour Details of National Theatre and New Adventures
Theatre's production of Play Without Words.
Tour begins
23 -27 March at 7.30pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm Edinburgh Festival
Theatre 0131 529 6000.
30 March -3 April at 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm Milton Keynes
Theatre 01908 60 60 90.
6 -10 April at 7.30pm, Thu mat 2pm, Sat mat 2.30pm Newcastle Theatre
Royal 0870 905 5060.
13 -17 April at 7.30pm, Thu mat 2pm, Sat mat 2.30pm Salford Quays
The Lowry 0870 787 5790.
20 -24 April at 8pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm High Wycombe Wycombe
Swan 01494 512000.
27 April -1 May at 7.30pm, Thu mat 2pm, Sat mat 2.30pm Birmingham
Hippodrome 0870 730 1234.
4 - 8 May at 8pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm Woking New Victoria
Theatre 01483 545900.
11 -15 May at 7.45pm, Thu & Sat mat 2.30pm Bromley Churchill
Theatre 020 8460 6677.
18 - 22 May at 7.30pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm Plymouth Theatre
Royal 01752 267222.
Tour ends
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