“Deliciously Nasty”
– Guardian
“Frighteningly gifted new theatre company”
– London Times
“A surreal performance piece that combines acting, animation,
film and live music has won every major award at the 2007
Edinburgh Fringe Festival.”
– The New York Times
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, created by the new British theater company 1927, cleverly combines live music, performance and storytelling with films and animations. Using the aesthetic of silent film, a series of comic vignettes unfold in which the performers interact with the animations.
This show sold out in London at the renowned Battersea Arts Center, takes you to the wild woods and the shipwrecked seas, from the weird underbelly of the suburbs to the tweedy world of the old rich. Hapless cats, marauding gingerbread men and cross dressing devils all make an appearance, not to mention the sinister twins and their misfortunate guests.
The show has been compared to Shockheaded Peter, David Lynch and Edward Gorey with a twist of Weimar cabaret. 1927’s world is, however, unique to their own highly crafted sensibilities. The Guardian called it “a devilishly good piece of work!”, and the Scotsman declared it “A wonderfully surreal step outside everyday life!”
This surreal satire for the discerning viewer had already gained cult status in London, which followed to the Edinburgh Fringe, where they won a Fringe First Award (from the Scotsman), the Herald Angel Award, the Total Theatre Award for Best Emerging Company and the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award. This is a clean sweep of the top awards at the Edinburgh Fringe. An amazing accomplishment!
1927 is a theatre company that specialises in combining performance and live music with animation and film. Storytelling is at the core 1927’s work. Spoken word, film and song are combined within their piece as a means of exploring innovative ways of telling stories. 1927 reinvents old idioms, silent film, music hall song, fairy tales, cabaret, to tell stories that are concerned with contemporary issues for a modern audience. Using up to date technology, 1927 mixes advanced multi-media practice with performance. The performers interact with the films and animations creating magical filmic theater. 1927’s first show has won 5 awards and sold out its Edinburgh and London runs. Reaching cultish cabaret crowds as well as seasoned theatre-goers, their work attracts a notably diverse crowd. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea begins a world tour in 2008, with performances in Australia and Korea, and then back to the US with a May date at the prestigious Spoleto Festival in South Carolina.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea features performances by Suzanne Andrade, Esme Appleton and Lillian Henley. The animation is by Paul Barritt, music by Lillian Henley and costume design by Esme Appleton.
photo by Neil Hanna, Scotsman
January 9-27, 2008