Mark Bruce Company: Odyssey tour

[LinMM]

I was wondering whether anyone has seen this yet? It's in Bristol at the moment (at the Circusmedia?) until Sunday and then will be in London at Wiltons theatre where I hope to see it in March ( unfortunately not coming to Brighton this time) But would love to know what people think of it as I really loved their Dracula a couple of years ago.

[Ian Macmillan]

Bruce Marriott saw it on opening night, unfortunately affected by injury, as he makes clear in the DanceTabs review here:

 

http://dancetabs.com/2016/02/mark-bruce-company-the-odyssey-frome/

[LinMM]

Thanks for that Ian. What a shame for Jonathon Goddard ...super dancer..to be injured like that so near the beginning of the run!!

 

I'm sure a good replacement will be found but may delay seeing it until towards the end of the run in London.....where it's on till the 19th March ....in the hope that Goddard will be back ....but does seem a bit soon for a broken foot!!

[alison]

How awful: I really do feel for them - and for Goddard, of course, in particular.  I hope he mends well, and soon.

[Indigo]

Thanks for posting about this. The Odyssey is touring to Salisbury Playhouse in mid-April & I've already got my ticket, as I thought their production of Dracula was fabulous. (It came to Salisbury for two nights - I saw it on the first & enjoyed it so much that I wanted to see it again & managed to get last-minute tickets for the second night.) I do hope Jonathon Goddard makes a speedy, full recovery. I'd love to see him dance again in April, but the whole company was so impressive that like Lin, I'm sure that whoever replaces him will do a good job too. 

[LinMM]

I've been toying with the idea now of a night in Ipswich in case Goddard has recovered by then because I'm sure London will be too soon for him!!

 

I went to Ipswich last Autumn (partner went to a woodwork show) after not having been for about twenty years or so and was pleasantly surprised. The new Dance Centre there is fabulous and I ended up going on a spontaneous trip down the river to Harwich which was really enjoyable.

So a Spring trip might be in order.......

[Ian Macmillan]

It looks as if Jonathan Goddard will be out for the rest of the run, with Christopher Akrill taking over:

 

http://twitter.com/markbruceco/status/699203824578400259

[Jan McNulty]

I'm so sorry to hear about Jonathan Goddard's injury and I hope he has a successful and early recovery.

 

Chris Akrill is, along with Charlotte Broom, the co-founder/artistic director of Headspace Dance.  I remember him well as a dancer with Northern Ballet and he was also a member of Ballet Culberg.  He is terrific!

[aileen]

Looking forward to seeing this at Wilton's next month. Alan Vincent (Dino in The Car Man) is also in the cast. My daughter is studying The Odyssey as part of her GCSE Classical Civilisation course and I suggested to her that I could mention the production to her teacher (for a possible school trip) but she forbade me to do any such thing!

[LinMM]

Well in that case I will see at Wiltons in London too. I think my partner may have filmed there some years ago and says it's a very atmospheric place so worth a visit.

I hope Jonathon Goddard makes a speedy recovery but a broken foot usually is a minimum of three months recovery....six months for most!! So it doesn't surprise me he won't be ready by the end of April when the run finishes.

 

Definitely still worth seeing!

[LinMM]

Oh and Aileen I'm puzzled by your daughters response!!

 

Hey and afternoon out of school what's not to like!! Though actually I think all the performances are evenings so perhaps that's why!!

[alison]

Worth pointing out, perhaps, that they're on at Eastleigh in Hampshire at the end of April, a mere few days before South West Trains' special £15 return offer runs out Also, the theatre is about 5 minutes' walk from the station.

[LinMM]

Yes I did look at the possibility of Eastleigh as well but think if Goddard not back might as well see in London.....much easier!!

 

Though used to visit Eastleigh a lot as a child as grandparents lived there before the mass move to Cornwall by several factions of my dad's family!!

[zxDaveM]

I was at the rehearsal at Wilton's Music Hall, so here are a few photos:
 

Hannah Kidd, Chris Tandy
© Dave Morgan.
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr


Eleanor Duval
© Dave Morgan.
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr


Company dancers
© Dave Morgan.
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

See more...
Set from DanceTabs: Mark Bruce Company - 'The Odyssey'
Courtesy of DanceTabs / Flickr

[LinMM]

Well I just did a Recce today to try out the journey from Highbury and door to door took 40 mins so not bad!! It finishes about 9.30 apparently.......and the Hall was open......wasn't wxpecting it to be at 11.30!! So have bought my ticket for 16th March!!

 

The piccies above look great can't wait to get a look inside the actual theatre as well.

[aileen]

It's a very atmospheric place, Lin. Try to give yourself a bit of time to wander around, look at the information panels (it has an interesting history) and have a drink in one of the bars.

[LinMM]

Yes will do. Took away a booklet on the history of the Hall with me today!

[aileen]

I saw this last night. The DanceTabs review gives a good account of the show and I agree with pretty much everything the reviewer says. It's worth reading a synopsis of The Odyssey before you go as, although Mark Bruce says that his work is not a faithful adaptation of the story, many of the elements of the story are there. It's cleverly structured and really zips along with you wondering all the time what's going to come next. It's an overwhelming experience, certainly if you are sitting close to the stage as we were, with vivid characterisation and a dizzying array of music from rock to moody guitar music (MB seems to like guitar music) to Christian choral music. Personally, I didn't find the choreography particularly interesting apart from a couple of duets. The work covers a huge amount of material and I think that some dancing was probably sacrificed in favour of advancing the story though 'straight' acting.

[LinMM]

I see this production still has some time to run as it's showing in Salisbury this weekend then Ipswich next week and finally in Eastleigh.

 

I do urge people living anywhere near these places to go along.

 

I'm really sorry I didn't revue it when I saw at Wiltons back in March but various urgent things arose at the time and I never got round to it but again I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was worth a much fuller revue but which I won't give now other than to say DO GO!!

 

It would take a lot to beat their production of Dracula which was wonderful.

This production is perhaps not quite so tightly knit together artistically but is still really good ...very dramatic and kept my attention riveted the whole time. It is really Theatre dance /drama than pure dance but this Company are so good I didn't mind slightly less Dance just always fascinating to watch. Chris Akrill and Chris Tandy were in the main roles at Wiltons .....don't know whether Goddard is back yet ....he could be but I'd be surprised.

 

I did find Wilton's a rather eerily wonderful venue I must say. I got lost trying to find the stage .....I was upstairs in a strange sort of Balcony arrangement but somehow ended up in a bricked corridor a bit scary as dungeons and ghosts were coming to mind. When I eventually got into the Hall the age and atmosphere of it really hit me. I felt I had just walked back into another century .....the feeling was very strong......added to which there was some sort of "fog" being created for theatrical effect so I was definitely in the mood and strangely unsettled and unnerved by the time it started!! Also walking back to Shadwell station afterwards along Cable Street gave me the creeps a bit as not a soul around.....and all those railway arches ....don't know which direction the rest of the audience went in ......anyway relieved to get to the station finally!! I look forward to their next production.

 

I see from their website that they do quite a few workshops with young people......worth investigating I think.

[Indigo]

I saw The Odyssey at Salisbury Playhouse last weekend. (It's definitely not as atmospheric a venue as Wilton's Music Hall looks to be, but it's a lovely small theatre with comfy seats, good legroom & excellent raking.) 

 

Had a great time watching this show & agree with much of what's already been said. Including Aileen & LinMM's comments about the choreography. The duets were the most interesting for me too, though I did wonder whether some of the other dancing was somewhat restricted by the size of the stage at Salisbury Playhouse. But although there wasn't perhaps as much dancing as I'd have liked, I was too busy enjoying what was happening on stage to mind.

 

All the cast gave such committed performances & delivered an excellent show. I was especially impressed by Christopher Tandy. His portrayal of Odysseus as the increasingly battle-hardened, brutal warrior who becomes psychologically scarred was convincing & it can't be an easy role to pull off.  

At the interval, I felt the Salisbury audience were rather stunned & that they didn't know quite what to make of The Odyssey! There was much conversation as people compared notes & exchanged recollections of the story dredged from their memory banks. It's definitely worth mugging up beforehand! 

 

At the end of the show there was hugely appreciative applause for the dancers & hopefully, the  Mark Bruce Company will return to Salisbury Playhouse on future tours: I'll be there