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Sold out for over 70% of the performances. 86% total attendance for the run making it the biggest selling show in the National's Lyttleton Theatre that year.
‘‘Spectacular'- The Times
'Exhiliarating’ - Time Out
‘Delightful innovation . . . worked a treat’ - FT
'Hunter’s bold, imaginative production’ - The Times
The Circus ‘The narrative and the cavortings come to seem so integrated that there could be little more natural . . . It’s a delicious, exhilarating blend’ - Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times 'Matt Costain...performs a solo on the still trapeze that leaves you marvelling at the sinuous grace of his body' - Robert Hewison, Sunday Times ‘A fight scene which virtually turns Aristophanes into Hitchcock’s Birds’ - Benedict Nightingale, The Times ‘The inventiveness of Matt Costain's aerial choreography dazzlingly executed by Mamaloucos Circus’ - Michael Billington, Guardian ‘The birds are evoked with succinct beauty . . . sundry feats of daring replicate the miracle of flight’ - Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
The Cast 'The Performances are winning: Josette Bushell-Mingo brings a wonderful sense of fun to the strutting Hoopoe, while Franky Mwangi makes an extraordinary chirping sparrow' - Maddy Costa, Time Out 'Marcello Magni and Hayley Carmichael . . . top-notch performers’ - Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times 'Hayley Carmichael’s excellent Eck' - Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph 'A terrific performance by Josette Bushell-Mingo’ - Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times 'Matt Costain trained as an actor before becoming a trapeze artist, and it shows, for he can speak as well as he can move.... A strong physical presence' - Robert Hewison, Sunday Times
The Translation 'O'Brien has a naturally strong poetic voice' - Susannah Clapp, Observer Sean O’Brien’s adaptation, like his poems, combines formal discipline with a spring in its step’ - Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times 'A clever, colloquial translation capable of ryming tits, blitz and Clausewitz’ - Benedict Nightingale, The Times 'O’Brien’s verse has a similar muscularity, flipping from coarse colloquialisms and knockabout rhyming couplets to an exalted lyricism’ - Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
The Music ‘A live high-tech soundtrack ingeniously swoops between celestial harmonies and the hellish din of banging dance music’ - Benedict Nightingale, The Times Press Articles:
From The Guardian, Wednesday July 17, 2002 Is The Birds a satire on democracy, a warning against dictatorship - or just a comedy about building castles in the air? Sean O'Brien tells how he tackled Aristophanes.
From The Times, July 22, 2002 Every generation seems to find something new in Aristophanes' The Birds. Now it's being played as circus. Heather Neill steps into the ring to find out why.
From The Financial Times, 19 July 2002 The National Theatre's rehearsal room resembles some giant aviary - full of ropes, perches and swings - and is packed with lithe people engaged in challenging acrobatics: not quite what you expect for a piece of Greek classical drama.
From Time Out, July 17 - 24 2002 It's not all Greek plays to the champion skateboarder who plans to fly high. |
