Kudos (beowulf)

AWARDS

PRESS

ADELAIDE PREPRESS

BOSTON PREPRESS

“The resulting adaptation skewers, celebrates, and deconstructs “Beowulf’’ in an effort to reclaim it from years of academic analysis and return it to its roots as a visceral, pulse-pounding tale.”
– The Boston Globe

EDINBURGH

✭✭✭✭THE HERALD

✭✭✭✭THE GUARDIAN

✭✭✭✭THE SCOTSMAN

✭✭✭✭THE LIST

✭✭✭✭TELEGRAPH

MUST SEE!THE STAGE

✭✭✭✭WHAT’S ON STAGE

✭✭✭✭BROADWAY BABY

✭✭✭✭✭THE SKINNY

✭✭✭✭THREE WEEKS

“Yay! This is such fun. Smart, thoughtful and tuneful, too…Beneath the poking fun at academia, the deconstructions, the rock anthems and the swagger is an interesting consideration of patriarchy, outsiders and what it means to be a muscle-bound warrior…There’s a terrific band, witty lyrics, severed limbs, a goldfish bowl full of blood and a fantastic ensemble who use the space with swaggering confidence…boldly theatrical, full of bravado and even as it playfully tears the narrative apart, it never forgets that it has a story to tell” – Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

“5 Stars…Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage is one of those shows that makes the Fringe: a riotous performance and a great example of how stunning experimental theatre can be. Actors and musicians roam about the spherical room, hiding behind pillars, kicking over chairs in blind rage, standing atop tables and helping themselves to drinks at the bar, even offering them to the audience. It’s messy but effective and we are immersed in an underworld of betrayal and Anglo-Saxon limb extraction. The music is thunderous and unpredictable, supported by emotive and pitch-perfect vocals. The spoken portions are poetic and melt effortlessly into the accompanying music and acting…While it’s cacophonous and brutal, there are moments of tenderness such as those between Grendel and his malevolent mother. Beowulf is gritty, daring, intelligent and cleverly executed.” – Rebecca Paul, The Skinny

“Raucous and defiantly raw…pairing a full band that encompass numerous musical styles – from Weillian cabaret and jazz harmony to punk, electronica and more experimental sounds – with a some brilliantly understated performances, the result is unpretentious, yet also rousing…This is a production about breaking down the conventions of classical adaptations and celebrating an anarchic style that might not encompass every plot detail, but captures a visceral truth that traditionalists may have forgotten.”
– Sally Stott, The Scotsman

NEW YORK

“…This stripped-down version of Banana Bag and Bodice’s metamusing on the Old English epic seems funnier and more terrifying than ever…”
– Helen Shaw, Time Out New York

“…a propulsive, oompah-inflected score…”
– Best of 2009, The New Yorker

“…joyfully raucous and silly…brings out the power and the color of the legend…”
– The New Yorker

“…a thrashing, bashing rendition of the ‘Beowulf’ story…with music that demands to be described at demented…”
– Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

“…always a good stomping rock number and a stylized ass-kicking coming soon…Seeing this cracked Beowulf may not earn students extra credit, but it’s an irresistible excuse to cut class.”
– David Cote, Time Out New York

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

“…a brilliant musical score composed by Dave Malloy…wonderfully cacophonous arrangements for blaring trombones, booming percussion, wild guitar, and wailing horns…”
– Lisa Jo Sagolla, Back Stage

“One of the most exciting and unusual theatrical events of 2008”
– Robert Avila, SF Bay Guardian

“Hilarious…clever…has the makings of a cult fave.”
– Variety

“…a blend of bawdy, bloody, ironic, lusty and honest. ”
– The Hour, Montreal

FUNDING