Botanica
By MOMIX
Conceived and designed by
Moses Pendleton
Performed by: Dajuan Booker,
Jonathan Bryant, Simona Ditucci, Morgan Hulen, Autumn Burnette, Elizabeth Loft,
Nicole Loizides, Graci Meier, Matt Schanbacher and Jason Williams.
Lighting Design: Joshua
Starbuck and Moses Pendleton
Costume Design: Phoebe
Katzin, Moses Pendleton, Cynthia Quinn
Puppet Design: Michael Curry
Presented by the Arts Centre
Melbourne
State Theatre
7 to 11 August 2013
Botanica is a well-paced,
abundant and engulfing work, a visual feast richly informed and buoyed with a
great eclectic cultural mix of music. My
over all response is that it is an exquisitely realized design, a rare gift of
theatrical interpretation. It is a
wonderful journey amongst anthropomorphized flora, fauna and natural phenomena.
MOMIX have created a generous
and joyful work that allows for interpretation. Though it contains some dark and brooding
scenarios and moments that hint at the subliminal it is a wonderfully rich work
that can be enjoyed by all the family. I
was accompanied by an eight year old who, for the whole ninety minutes,
appeared to be happily transfixed and impressed. She often whispered, to me, an inquiry or
meaning she gleaned as the work progressed.
gum-nut dance, the preening
of a number of handsomely conceived and executed centaurs, a wonderfully
narcissistic mirrored androgynous full-bodied contortion, a prehistoric
dinosaur, swarms of insects and numbers of birds, a miraculous snake exhibition
and even a fan dance.
Throughout strong
contemporary dancers are amply supported by wonderful multi-media, lights and
costumes and masterfully manipuliable objects.
The incorporated colors are vivid and spectacular. There are many delightful and whimsical
surprises and much excellent puppetry to b enjoyed.
Great show for children from
about eight to the grandparents.
Suzanne Sandow
(For Stage Whispers)
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