By - 4 Mar 2011
"When so much we see at the moment is in some way fake, the honesty of this show is truly striking. Silver Stars is an incredibly emotive piece that pulls on a breadth of human emotion as it tells its story. It lays bare the stories of struggle, loss, defiance, acceptance and love in a sombre yet highly charged song-cycle."
Reviewed by Craig Wilson, 4 Mar 2011
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this review on Theatreview.org.nz
"The wonderful venue of the Auckland town hall concert
chamber welcomes its guests with an almost empty stage flanked
excitingly with a trio of cellists to one side and an array of
instruments to the other, played by the song writer Sean Millar.
After a short introduction this scene is slowly and slightly
ominously filled with ten gay Irish men who are quite intentionally
striking in the ordinariness of their appearance; you will find no
gay stereotypes on this stage.
This highly polished choir embarks on a song cycle
consisting of eight songs depicting the hardships and joys of being
gay over the last 20 years in a heavily religious yet evolving
Ireland. While mostly sombre in nature, the songs are utterly
enthralling and succeed brilliantly in translating the emotion of
the stories to the audience. More than once the hair on the back of
my neck was standing up at the intense electrical emotion created
in this space.
Each song is associated with a man's name, eloquently
bringing to mind the fact that these are real stories collected by
songwriter Sean Millar. These stories resonate through the cast
which was chosen in an audition where no previous performance
history was required. It is astounding, due to the quality of their
performance, that for the majority of this group of 39-65 year olds
their debut on stage was the opening night of this show in
2008.
Directors Feidum Cannon and Gary Keegan show us, with
great skill and craft, that - with simple yet astute lighting and
precise and intentional stage direction - one of the most poignant
and emotive back-drops can be the human form itself. Through clever
timing and positioning of the cast combined with an acknowledgement
of the physicality of its members, an engaging texture is created
on stage without ever taking the focus off the performers
themselves.
This beautifully crafted show is a truly wonderful
experience. I am left feeling honoured to have been presented with
these very personal and deeply moving tales."
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Auckland Arts Festival 2011
Silver Stars
Brokentalkers (Ireland)
at Concert Chamber - Town Hall, THE EDGE, Auckland
From 2 Mar 2011 to 5 Mar 2011