Magical melange
Entering a honeycomb of magically absurd truths, the 75 minutes of dance, mime, gymnastics and music was to suspend disbelief. What we witnessed was a profound display of human capacity for teamwork, timing, flexibility that challenged Nature itself and most notably, the joy and energy of performing to an interested audience. Every nerve in the hall woke up to the magnificent work on stage. Undergirding it all was a message of hope, peace, transformation and resistance in the face of oppression, and even death.
Mini Krishnan
Nungambakkam
Lasting impression
The first play of any festival risks the chance of being forgotten by the end of it but the 75 minutes of mind-numbing, awe-inspiring, beat-boxing and break-dancing that opened the sixth edition of the MetroPlus Theatre Fest will certainly not suffer that fate. I'm not a big fan of dance but ‘Break Out Extreme Dance Comedy' destroyed every stereotype of dance and theatre that I knew and made me reconsider that stance. I loved how the spotlights were used and the way the play so seamlessly shifted from the stage to the audience. The visual panels on the side were mildly distracting but admittedly necessary. The way the sets and backdrop were incorporated into the play was commendable. Judging from the hoots and applause from the audience, except for when the play slowed down a little around the 50th minute, it was definitely a play that will be remembered for a while to come!
Dhiya Kuriakose
Annanagar East
Entertainment without a break
‘Break Out: Extreme Dance Comedy' was a break from the traditional theatre. It was a cocktail of dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, drama, humour and puppetry. A great entertainment non-stop provided by 10 Korean artistes with individual skills. Such a show is possible only with devotion, training and hard work. Credit should also go to the director and producer for the concept and the eventual performance which was done without any hitch.
V. Murali
T. Nagar
Dress rehearsal gone bad
‘Break Out' was a hit among the kids, though I cannot say the same about the adults. There were a few laugh-out loud moments but most of the time I was waiting for the high-energy vibe that b-boying usually brings. The fact that the lights were out-of-sync and the comic capers jumped from scene-to-scene also took away from the enjoyment. The Bboys and beautiful girls tried, but after the slew of dance competitions on TV that show genres at their best, ‘Break Out' seemed like a dress rehearsal gone bad.
Amritha Dinesh
Adyar
They've got talent
The compellingly comical, uniquely creative, laconically dramatised dance sequence titled ‘Break Out' staged by Sevensense and Yegam Theatre Company far exceeded my expectations of the arts scene in Chennai. It was witty and succinct. During the opening sequence, when the entire troop arrived in grey hooded sweat-suits, I was briefly reminded of ‘Fighting Gravity' (featured on America's Got Talent) but their act quickly established a discrete artistic stance. Personally, the highlights of the performance included but were in no means limited to: the clever, seemingly spontaneous use of props and judiciously constructed sets, the unexpected uproarious audience participation, the resourceful use of puppets to portray the actual ‘break out', and last but not least, the uncanny timing. Not a second was wasted, and not a single moment, gesture or reaction came a second too late! All of this was liberally garnished with passionate and highly capable beat boxing the likes of which I have only witnessed once before on the Ellen DeGeneres show, when Rob Tyson was featured. I would love to add a negative comment to make this feedback seem less biased, but I sincerely cannot think of one, I absolutely loved it!
Asher Jay
New York
Brilliant concept
A practically non-existent storyline and yet thunderous applause! Nothing but the phenomenal dance, beatboxing and yoga skills of the Korean troupe could have earned that. While the show itself was uproariously funny, the part when the prisoners made their escape through the ‘underground tunnels' was my favourite. The concept was brilliant.
Harish Ramaswamy
Adyar
Refreshing
From the dancers to the costumes to the sets changing in seconds to the sheer imagination of the director, the play exceeded expectations on all counts. What struck me the most however was the characterisation of the dancers, or rather performers. Each established his strength right in the beginning, and continued to do only that throughout the performance — the performer good at floor moves stuck to floor moves or the break-dancer didn't attempt hip-hop stunts. Compared to the shows Chennai is used to, where the emphasis is on one-dimensional coordination ‘Break Out' was refreshing.
Aparna Narayan
Thiruvanmiyur
Dancing up a storm
‘Break Out' was a high-energy, a laugh-a-minute production. The story danced breathlessly through prison, hospital, and abbey. The performers fell over each other for gags and then danced up a storm. Lights danced across the stage and over the audience. All to a soundtrack of pounding music and helpless laughter from the audience. But the play seemed to reach closure several times before breaking out into another narrative twist. Also, can we ban the incomprehensible Tamil dialogues that all theatre groups coming to the city feel obliged to inflict upon us?
Malarvizhi. J
Abhiramapuram
