Angel

NZ Theatre

Season:

Friday 5th - Saturday 13th March 2010 (no show Sun/Mon)

Time:

5PM on Friday 5th, 4pm & 6.30pm on Saturday 6th, then 6.30PM 9-13 March

Price:

$16 full / $13 concession / $12 Fringe Addict Card holders

Length:

-- select --hr 55min

An angel, trapped on earth, has resorted to terrorist activities in order to return to her natural state of loving bliss. The angel, known to the public only as “Angel,” has made an internet broadcast claiming that “we are all entitled to be loved unconditionally for who we really are” and that she will be “doing all of humanity a favour” if she carries out her explosive plans.

Angel is a funny and touching contemporary clowntheatre show. Created by the most talented of Christchurch’s independent circus, theatre and music artists, Angel takes an irreverent and playful look at modern spiritual alternatives.

Angel tells the story of an angel fallen to earth and longing to return to heaven. A sweetness pervades the piece as the angel discovers and pursues earthly ways of achieving enlightenment.

Three uniquely talented women have brought their expertise together in the creation of Angel:
Olli Ricken (circus tutor at Christchurch Polytech) is masterful as the angel, gifting the audience a depth that her 17 years of experience in clowntheatre and circus allow her.
Lucette Hindin (the clinic) brings to the piece her unique skill and ten years of professional experience creating cutting edge and beautiful devised theatre.
Arielle Atman, intuitive pianist, has created music for Angel which on its own would satisfy an audience for an hour.
Angel catches these three at the height of their creative careers. A funny, thoughtful, and expertly delivered piece of theatre.

Here is the review by Alan Scott from The Press:

"Angel was an exceedingly accomplished piece of theatre. It is a mime drama with elements of circus. One hour long, and with just one performer, it had the audience completely absorbed.

Performer Olli Ricken had you captivated, but what was special was the complete integration of her mime with the beautifully evocative piano music that accompanied it. Musician Arielle Atman’s seemingly intuitive response to the drama gave an extra dimension to the show.

Ricken, dressed as an angel with a clown’s red nose, is actually a fallen angel who plummets to Earth in the opening seconds of the drama. With her wings torn off and stranded in this vale of tears we call Earth, she begins her search for the way home. She clowns, she mimes, she dances and she balances, conjuring up different scenarios in her struggle to reach heaven again. At one point she even tries to blow herself up, suicide-bomber style.

Ricken’s strength is her ability to always be completely in the moment, to use that old theatre phrase. Whether smiling or crying, her face has a believable intensity, and when you add in her masterful physicality, you have a gifted storyteller.

Director Lucette Hindin has clearly shaped the story into a dramatic whole that is very coherent, as well as theatrically refined.

Notwithstanding the quality of the piece, I did have a problem with it. The angel, I guess, is a metaphor, but to me it was more of a cliche. I found the whole thing a bit too twee, with its dramatic sophistication offset by its content. I am not sure whether the audience did, however.

Angel was certainly a delightful piece of theatre and Ricken is a very skilled performer."

Glistening Arts

Cast & Crew

Director:

Lucette Hindin

Actors:

Olli Ricken

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Only $10 Tuesday and Wednesday night - what a bargain!