Amazonia

Synopsis

Christmas Brazilian style! Brazilian and British theatre artists come together to create an Amazonian adventure. Inspired by the myths and legends of the rainforest and featuring original Brazilian music. Fantasy and reality dance through the depths of the rainforest. Laughter, danger and desire are unleashed and the Amazon trembles. Can the mystical spirits of the forest save our heroes? Performed in English. The Young Vic's International Programme is supported by Bloomberg.

Our Review:

5 December 2008

An early announcement about this year’s seasonal show at the Young Vic outlined a story in which twin boys create an enchanted tree in a rainforest which later exerts its magical spell over a troupe of dancers. Something has gone wrong along the way, and what we now have amounts to a something completely different and totally disappointing.

Amazonia is a limp and confusing parable about the death and resurrection of a black bull in a Brazilian village where a pregnant woman (Golda Rosheuvel) vomits on the stage – welcome to the Christmas season, kiddies – and develops an insatiable hunger first for exotic fruit, then snake’s eggs and finally the tongue of the poor old bull himself.

At the same time, the nephew (Chris New) of the village elder (Jeffery Kissoon) has returned from university with ideas of modernising the community and cutting down the trees. His cousin (Daisy Lewis) dreams of romance, and her call to the wild results in a little ...

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Latest User Review

Joan - 24 December 2008:

Really very disappointing. The fabled and real-life Brazilian characters were completely unknown to those of us (I'm assuming most of the audience) unfamiliar with Brazilian folk lore and unfortunately assassinated eco-activists, and so my companions and I had very little idea what the plot was all about, as some prior knowledge appeared to be assumed by the scriptwriters. Added to this I found the script extremely turgid, and the acting either ridiculously over the top or just plainly struggling to make some headway with the overly worthy script. Sorry to be so negative, but I really was amazed that the Youg Vic would commission this play, especially as a 'Christmas special', and I would strongly urge everyone to choose something else. ...

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