Samurai 7.0 has been invited to appear at the Piccolo Spoleto Arts festival
in Charleston, SC in June, 2007. Twelve performances are scheduled between
May 30 and June 9 at the Footlight Players Theater, 20 Queen Street, in
historic downtown Charleston. For performance times and ticket information
visit the Piccolo Spoleto website at www.piccolospoleto.com or call
843-724-7389.
Samurai 7.0
Artistic Director Davis Robinson has teamed up with composer Don Dinicola and founding members Lisa Tucker, Elyse Garfinkel, and Larry Coen to create an original production inspired by the epic film "The Seven Samurai". This timeless
tale of an eclectic band of spiritual warriors who come out of
retirement to defeat bandits has been set in feudal Japan, the mythic
West, and the battlefields of Europe. It is now the launching point for
a contemporary theatrical experiment using music, movement, puppetry,
lighting, and our own cinematic language for the stage to explore the
resonance of these films, our need for heroes, the power of the number
seven, and the ways in which live action can evoke a celluloid world.
Watch the Samurai 7.0 Trailer!
small (iPod) trailer (6.8 MB) large trailer (16.2 MB)
The Boston Globe says...
"SAMURAI 7.0 is funny, poetic, and grand. It's epic. It's slight.
It's silly. It's profound. It's "Samurai 7.0: Under Construction,"
and it's 70 minutes of quietly dazzling invention by Beau Jest Moving
Theater...
The Boston Herald says...
" Judy Gailen's set design is an intriguing balance of opulence and
simplicity."
Bill Marx from WBUR Radio says...
"Samurai 7.0" is not a version of the movie so much as a sly meditation on how
theatre should be inspired by comradeship and artistry rather than
money and razzle dazzle."
The Boston Phoenix says...
"What director Robinson and his co-creators want to enshrine here is physicalized imagination and the "simple
skill" put forward by Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream, referred to in the Samurai 7.0 epilogue, and,
one hopes, not gone the way of the dodo. Or to Bowdoin."
Now available!
The Physical Comedy Handbook,
by Beau Jest Artistic Director Davis Robinson.
"My personal favorite: Of all the area's small theaters, Beau Jest has the most identifiable and original artistic vision, developing an elastic form of lyrical slapstick that ranges from the magically sentimental to the
witheringly satiric... Beau Jest's inventive staging did what all art does-
it creates a pleasurable new world of its own." -Bill Marx, Boston Globe
Beau Jest is one of New England's premiere theater companies, known for their imaginative productions and a joyous physical acting style. Winners of the 1995 Boston Theater Award, they have long been recognized for their creative approach to theater. Whether taking a full year to create an original work, or interpreting an existing script, the company brings their trademark blend of physical imagery and innovative staging to every show.
A strong streak of optimism runs through all of Beau Jest's work, and a willingness to experiment with many styles. Mask and puppets, historical events, cabaret artists, cartoonists, tap dancers, choreographers, and composers have been but a few of the influences on the company's collaborations.
Beau Jest is an artist-run organization with a fourteen year history of exploration and investigation into the role of the actor as creator, and the uses of movement and text to spark theatrical immediacy.
The artistic strength of their work has carried them to appearances around the country at prestigious festivals, three Off-Broadway runs, and hundreds of shows in theaters in the New England area. The desire for artistic freedom and a total personal investment by the actors in the quality of the work are major reasons for the company's existence. Beau Jest productions have been chosen Best of the Year by Boston area papers in 1985, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2006.
"A seamless ensemble, handling extremely eclectic material with seeming effortlessness. The snappiest satire since the vintage days of Saturday Night Live...polished to the point of near perfection." -Boston Globe
