INDEPENDENT NEWS

Two Kiwi Legends Bring Epic Tale to the Auckland Stage!

Published: Tue 16 Apr 2019 09:39 AM
Auckland Live and Artsense Productions present
AN ILIAD
Written by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
Directed by Jonathon Hendry
Following an award-winning 2018 Dunedin season, New Zealand’s own master storyteller Michael Hurst and rock maestro Shayne P. Carter bring to Auckland audiences a brilliant reimagining of Homer’s masterwork The Iliad. The thrilling theatrical adaption that is An Iliad plays at the Herald Theatre from May 29.
A sole performer is joined on stage by a musician to tell the tale of the great Trojan War and Achilles’ victory over brave Hector. This sweeping and powerful story collides with our world and delivers startlingly modern results.
Written by powerhouse US duo Lisa Peterson and Tony Award-winning Denis O’Hare, An Iliad was met with critical acclaim on its 2011 US premiere, taking home the prestigious Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards in 2012. The play was most recently lauded during its sell-out season in Dunedin, winning three major awards for sound design, performance, and production of the year at the 2018 Dunedin Theatre Awards.
In this production, Hurst and his exceptionally cool collaborator Carter embody the passion, fury and enthralling intensity of one of the world’s most revered classic texts. Riffing off one another, the two deliver up a combination that even the gods would approve of, with Hurst playing the derelict Poet with commanding yet mischievous prowess while Carter creates an inspired real-time soundscape live on stage.
‘Homer’s masterpiece, flawlessly enacted by a master storyteller’ – Theatreview
With superb direction by Jonathon Hendry, An Iliad delivers an unrivalled contemporary take on one of the greatest stories ever told. It’s a play that Hendry has been keen to produce, ever since seeing the original performed at the NZ International Arts Festival in Wellington.“The playwrights have allowed us to reimagine their work to create urgency, immediacy and a rock sensibility with thrilling results," says Hendry.
"A mesmerising, moving and utterly engaging theatre experience’ – The Star
BOOK NOW to experience the passion and darkness of this spine-tingling tale depicted by two New Zealand legends.
AN ILIAD plays:
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre
Wed 29 May – Sun 9 June
Book at Ticketmaster.co.nz
Tickets go on sale to the general public at 9am, Thursday 18th April
Based by Homer's The Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles
Arrangement by Hal Leonard Australia, exclusive agent for Dramatists Play Service, Inc
ends

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