Month: August 2014

4 Stars from The Skinny!

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4 STARS in The Skinny
 
http://www.theskinny.co.uk/theatre/reviews/308900-working_title_orpheus_project_c_too
 
REVIEW BY CHRISTINE LAWLER.
PUBLISHED 22 AUGUST 2014

NoMansTime Automatics brings a stylish performance to Edinburgh Fringe with Working Title: The Orpheus Project, which is set in a dystopian world where two very different lives become interlinked as both descend into chaos.

Noah Young plays Johnny O, one half of the explosive couple whose love is intense and flawed, as well as playing Kasper J, the straight-laced everyman who finds his world turned upside down after a vicious attack on himself and his home. Young is compelling as both characters and there is a clear divide between the two personalities meaning even without the quick costume changes it would be possible to identify which one he is playing.

Genevieve Dunne plays the other half of the explosive couple who has an elicit affair with Kasper J. Dunne has a natural seductive quality, which works well for her part as temptress, however she also portrays a certain vulnerability making her likeable and genuine.

Sound and light are used well to distinguish different parts of the narrative with music ranging from synth to Glenn Miller to really set the scenes. The props used are mainly empty clothes rails which are moved around to create different scenes or placed in a certain way to represent objects, this is done in such a way as to still create appealing visuals for the audience.

The story is engaging but the underlying influences of The Trial by Franz Kafka and the greek mythology of Orpheus seem to have been slightly lost. This does not impact on the overall performance, however: the visuals and the story are brilliantly done and creates a lasting impression.

5 Star Review in Broadway Baby!

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http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/working-title-the-orpheus-project/700829

A slick piece of cyberpunk with noir flourishes, The Orpheus Project is an atmospheric re-imagining of Kafka’s The Trialcombined with the myth of Orpheus and his quest to bring back Eurydice.

This is a kill shot. A gripping, bold and exciting new work.

The star-crossed lovers in this play are, like Romeo and Juliet, from two houses in feud: opposing forces of politics. In this dystopia, in the not-too-distant future, London has been declared a city-state run by the Corporation, a vast, Orwellian monopoly, where Eliyah’s (Genevieve Dunn) uncle and guardian is a key figure. Johnny O (Noah Young), Eliyah’s celebrity boyfriend, is the son of a noted member of the Union, fighting against the Corporation. Skilfully interwoven is the story of Kasper J, worker bee for the Corporation, model citizen, guileless and about to have his life changed.

The performances by both actors are outstanding. The set, comprising table, chairs and two clothing racks on wheels, is used in unexpected and inventive ways as the actors move in and out of storytelling and into the characters who live in this world. Young transforms his posture, his presence and his voice as he becomes Johnny O: rock star, rebel, self-proclaimed messiah and not quite human. Dunn is variously femme fatale, enforcer and victim.

Director/writer Jonathon Young’s piece recalls the work of William Gibson (Neuromancer and Johnny Mnemonic), Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World without being derivative. The sound design (by David Hermann with Jonathon Young) with its loops and drones evokes Vangelis, and a later joke in the play about “tears in rain” confirms Bladerunner as a reference point (although the joke is over-explained). The contrast of this music with Glenn Miller big band tunes is incongruous and effective in establishing mood.

The physicality of this show is impressive; the opening dance choreography is sensual and violent, with a meaning that doesn’t become apparent until the end. The piece also incorporates multimedia, which helps establish the reality of the world without becoming overly expositional.

It’s not a play for everyone, but by golly if anyone had ever set out to design a piece with me as a target, incorporating so many of my favourite things (cyberpunk, noir, Glenn Miller, clever storytelling, questions about human brutality and betrayal), this is a kill shot. A gripping, bold and exciting new work.

 

First Edinburgh Review in: 4 Stars in The Stage!

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http://www.thestage.co.uk/?review_id=72538

FOUR STARS!

Now a totalitarian city state, London is riven between the controlling Corporation and the opposition Union. A classic case of dystopian future therefore, where the opposing political loyalties of celebrity couple Jonny O and Eliyah strains their relationship.

Things hit breaking point when Jonny’s father, a Union leader, is unexpectedly murdered by agents of the Corporation. When innocent worker Kasper J then becomes embroiled, the doomed couple descend into dark political depths as society turns in on itself in this mash-up of Orpheus in the Underworld and Kafka’s The Trial.

As the story unfolds, Noah Young and Genevieve Dunne seamlessly assume a gallery of characters, the action enhanced by projections, moody lighting and a driving soundtrack. It is a testament to the duo’s skills pool that they fuse very disparate ends of physical and verbal theatre into a focused work that works equally as a play and as a visual statement.

This promising seedbed has been created by Jonathan Young and David Hermann who, in originating both script and music (Young also directs), have set up parameters for a production where much of the movement is semi-improvised, with the performers also triggering the music and sound loops as they go along. While this is not always apparent, this approach allows for an impressive spontaneity otherwise not possible within such a tightly crafted production.

By: Nick Awde