Articles and Reviews
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THE IRISH TIMES review of The Bystander, Dublin Theatre Festival 2018

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THE REVIEWS HUB review of The Bystander, Dublin Theatre Festival 2018

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THE ARTS REVIEW review of The Bystander, Dublin Theatre Festival 2018

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IRISH TIMES review of Man At The Door (Number 54), Cork Midsummer Festival 2018

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IRISH TIMES review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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IRISH INDEPENDENT review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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EXEUNT MAGAZINE review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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THE ARTS REVIEW review of Dolores, Dublin Dance Festival 2018

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THE BIG LIST NI review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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THE ARTS REVIEW review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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EXEUNT MAGAZINE review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

THE REVIEWS HUB review of Soldier Still, Dublin Fringe Festival 2017

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THE SCOTSMAN review of It Folds, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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THE STAGE review of It Folds, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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THE HERALD review of It Folds, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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EXAMINER.COM review of Walking Pale, 2016

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2015

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THE IRISH TIMES review of It Folds, 2015

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THE STATE OF THE ARTS review of It Folds, 2015

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BROADWAY WORLD review of It Folds, 2015

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LE COOL review of It Folds, 2015

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THE NEW YORK TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2015

TANZ MAGAZIN review of The Falling Song, 2014

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EXEUNT MAZAZINE review of The Falling Song, 2014

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THE PUBLIC REVIEWS review of The Falling Song, 2014

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THE STAGE review of The Falling Song, 2014

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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THE SUNDAY TIMES review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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EXAMINER.COM review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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IRISH INDEPENDENT review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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THE IRISH TIMES feature on junk ensemble and Dusk Ahead, 2013

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IRISH EXAMINER review of Dusk Ahead, 2013

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THE IRISH TIMES review of The Falling Song, 2012

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of The Falling Song, 2012

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RACHEL DONNELLY review of The Falling Song, 2012

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TOTALLY DUBLIN review of Bird with boy, 2012

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THE SUNDAY TIMES review of Bird with boy, 2011

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Bird with boy, 2011

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Bird with boy, 2011

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THE VIEW on RTE TELEVISION review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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THE IRISH INDEPENDENT review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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IRISH HERALD review of Five Ways to Drown, 2010

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DANCE EUROPE review of Drinking Dust, 2009

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THE IRISH TIMES review of Drinking Dust, 2008

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THE METRO review of Drinking Dust, 2008

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IRISH THEATRE MAGAZINE review of Drinking Dust, 2008

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THE IRISH TIMES review of The Rain Party, 2007

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THE IRISH INDEPENDENT review of The Rain Party, 2007

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THE METRO review of The Rain Party, 2007

4****
EXEUNT MAGAZINE
SARA VEALE

THE FALLING SONG (touring)
11 March 2014

The Falling Song is an ambitious and wonderfully weird piece of dance theatre. Ripe with experimental choreography and a hint of self-possession, the one-act work calls to mind the narrative ingenuity of Eleanor Catton's The Rehearsal, navigating its central theme - the subtle differences between flying and falling - through a series of fragmented scenes with varying registers and degrees of theatricality. A recurring motif of apples, with their connotations of gravity and original sin, underscores the concept of consequence implicit in the piece.

A manifest sense of physicality dominates the choreography, which sees the all-male cast constantly swooping and bounding around the stage, exploring all possible pairings and manoeuvring through some unorthodox partnerwork. The performers display a range of talent between them: Carl Harrison is fluid and animated in his every move, while Eddie Kay impresses with powerful core strength: meanwhile Omar Gordon's classical training is visible in his crisp, smooth lines, and Jesse Kovarsky turns heads with his effervescent mien.


With two ladders and a handful of mattresses at their disposal, the dancers traverse spaces high and low, though their reliance on these props is thankfully kept to a minimum. In fact, the most impressive moves of The Falling Song take place sans scenic accompaniment, the dancing a sufficient narrative device of its own; still, the ladders do aid some arresting moments, including one unexpected bellyflop from the top rung that drew audible gasps from the audience.

The piece veers in tone as it progresses, shifting from farcical to grave in surprisingly organic fashion. The funniest parts are allotted to Kovarsky, who whips out a falsetto for a brassy rendition of "I'm Through With Love" and later dazzles (quite literally) in a sequin teal waistcoat as he mimes a jazzy figure skating routine. It's the solemn scenes that resonate the most, however - the grounded quartet performed in tribal unison, for example, or the phrase in which two performers dance an entire sequence neck-to-neck, one whispering the dark, subconscious thoughts of the other.

Music assumes a central role in the piece and is incorporated in several veins. There's a children's choir that shuffles on periodically to fill the stage with euphonious song, its tiny members recruited to push apples around the stage in a climactic finale. A slapping phrase in which dancers use their bodies as instruments also proves an interesting addition. That said, it's George Higgs, the show's live musician, who drew the most applause with his fantastical and artfully operated musical machine, a clangorous hodgepodge of bike wheels and wind chimes and cowbells that smacks of steampunk oddity. The title of the work's parent initiative, Incredibly Rare, feels especially relevant in light of his contribution.

EXEUNT MAZAZINE review of The Falling Song, 2014