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Citizen Reviews
PHOTO: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
NON-STOP ENTERTAINMENT From `Break Out: Extreme Dance Comedy'
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A s before, we will not be reviewing any plays staged at The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest. But you can. If you have watched the show and want the opportunity to express your views in print, please email us a short review between 50 and 150 words by noon the next day. A selection of Citizen Reviews will be published in MetroPlus. Feel free to express your views. Mail them to welcome.metro@gmail.com along with your full name, address and telephone number. Letters with fictitious names, addresses and phone numbers will NOT be published. Highlighted reviews win a special prize: lunch for two at The Park, Chennai.
They've got talent
The compellingly comical, uniquely creative, laconically dramatised dance sequence titled ‘Break Out' exceeded my expectations of the arts scene in Chennai. During the opening sequence, when the entire troupe arrived in grey hooded sweat-suits, I was briefly reminded of ‘Fighting Gravity' (featured on ‘America's Got Talent') but their act quickly established a discrete artistic stance. The highlights of the performance included the clever, seemingly spontaneous use of props and judiciously constructed sets, the unexpected uproarious audience participation, the resourceful use of puppets to portray the actual ‘break out', and last but not the least, the uncanny timing. Not a single moment, gesture or reaction came late! All of this was liberally garnished with passionate and highly capable beat boxing.
Asher Jay
New York
Lasting impression
The first play of any festival risks the chance of being forgotten by the end of it but ‘Break Out: Extreme Dance Comedy' that opened the The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Festival will not suffer that fate. It destroyed every stereotype of dance and theatre that I knew. I loved how the spotlights were used and the way the play so seamlessly shifted from the stage to the audience. The visual panels on the side were mildly distracting but admittedly necessary. Judging from the hoots and applause, except for when the play slowed down a little around the 50th minute, it was definitely a play that will be remembered for a while to come!
Dhiya Kuriakose
Annanagar East
Dress rehearsal gone bad
‘Break Out' was a hit among the kids, though I cannot say the same about the adults. There were a few laugh-out loud moments but most of the time I was waiting for the high-energy vibe that b-boying usually brings. The fact that the lights were out-of-sync and the comic capers jumped from scene-to-scene also took away from the enjoyment. The b-boys and beautiful girls tried, but after the slew of dance competitions on TV that show genres at their best, this seemed like a dress rehearsal gone bad.
Amritha Dinesh
Adyar
Brilliant concept
A practically non-existent storyline, and yet thunderous applause! While the show itself was uproariously funny, the part when the prisoners made their escape through the ‘underground tunnels' was my favourite.
Harish Ramaswamy
Adyar
Best foot forward
What struck me the most was the characterisation of the dancers, or rather performers. Each established his strength right in the beginning, and continued to do only that throughout the performance — the performer good at floor moves stuck to floor moves, and so on. Compared to the shows Chennai is used to, where the emphasis is on one-dimensional coordination, ‘Break Out' was refreshing.
Aparna Narayan
Thiruvanmiyur
Magical melange
Entering a honeycomb of magically absurd truths, the 75 minutes of dance, mime, gymnastics and music was to suspend disbelief. What we witnessed was a profound display of human capacity for teamwork, timing, flexibility that challenged Nature itself, and most notably, the joy and energy of performing to an interested audience. Every nerve in the hall woke up to the magnificent work on stage. Undergirding it all was a message of hope, peace, transformation and resistance in the face of oppression, and even death.
Mini Krishnan
Nungambakkam
Dancing up a storm
‘Break Out' danced breathlessly through prison, hospital, and abbey. The performers fell over each other for gags and then, danced up a storm. But the play seemed to reach closure several times before breaking out into another narrative twist. Also, can we ban the incomprehensible Tamil dialogues that all theatre groups coming to the city feel obliged to inflict upon us?
Malarvizhi. J
Abhiramapuram
Laughs unlimited
‘Break Out: Extreme Dance Comedy' was a cocktail of dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, drama, humour and puppetry. Such a show is possible only with training and hard work. Credit should also go to the director and producer for the concept.
V. Murali
T. Nagar
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