HASTE AWAY HOME
11/03/2015 - 13/03/2015
NZ Fringe Festival 2015 [reviewing supported by WCC]
Production Details
The company that brought you Raiders of the Lost Harlot and A Study in Pink, GDP Productions is proud to enter the New Zealand Fringe Festival this March with Haste Away Home, a Saturday night cartoon inspired retelling of several of our favourite Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Black light theatre (performed in pitch black under ultraviolet lights) bridges the gap between puppetry, illusion, and animation, and is famous for being an accessible and unique form of storytelling.
Haste Away Home is a dark show for all ages directed by James Kiesel, with live music by Ty Butterfield and Scott Roy, local celebutante Jon Lemmon spinning discs, puppets constructed by local puppet maker Felix Millar (son of renowned Australian puppet creator Philip Millar), and featuring an international cast including Philadelphia-based actress Jess Brownell and local vaudevillian Eli Joseph.
This show and this medium, more than any other I’ve been a part of, is capable of inspiring wonder, like a magic trick you can’t get out of your head, weeks after you’ve seen it. ~ James Kiesel
Making black light theater is really empowering because you have complete control over exactly what the audience sees or doesn’t see, and so watching it live is like watching a movie happening before you, in real life. ~ Felix Millar
WHERE: Concerned Citizen’s Collective, 17 Tory Street, Wellington
WHEN: March 11th – 13th, 8pm
Doors will open at 7:30; approximately 50 minute run time.
PRICE: $15, or $10 unwaged; tickets available at the door, the Fringe box office, or online.
Theatre , Puppetry ,
Smile-inducing
Review by Patrick Davies 12th Mar 2015
‘The Fisherman’s Wife’ is a lesser known Grimms fairytale, pretty much about the life of a fisherman and his wife – though various aquatic characters do pop up in the events. This is director James Kiesel’s favourite childhood story and the regard he shows for this treasured memory is obvious.
This is a simply delightful production. The story is performed under UV/blacklight (try not to wear too much white yourself) with the wondrous candy colours popping into your eyeballs while the puppets and set are manipulated by black clothed ninjas.
Three puppeteers (Jess Brownell, Eli Joseph, Cordelia Black) also provide vocal sound effects and gibberish dialogue. Not having spoken English is a great move – it keeps us in children’s story mood and leaves much more to the imagination. There are also a number of fantastic emoji-like elements getting a good response from a near capacity audience.
Ty Butterfield and Scott Roy provide live music from sea shanty to background music simply and effectively. Even the rippling of the wind in the foil covering the windows adds to the experience. At 35 mins it’s the perfect length to dip into a really cool world before heading back out into the dullness of the world.
If you can, go, you’ll come out smiling.
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