Our 4 and 5 star reviews for Nikotine gave some result and we have more and more audience every day. Producers and programmers are comming to see us. We are waiting for 2 more reviews from Three Weeks and The Stage. We had judges from The CSPA Fringe Festival Award for Sustainable Production. Of course we believe we should win this award because 1. We have an anazing production, 2. Our carbon footprint is minimal and 3. Our puppets are made by found and recycled materials. Here is our five star review: ‘
”Take one expressive puppet head, a couple of pieces of cloth and you have a very remarkable show – you certainly have when Milena Mlianova is the puppeteer.
First performed in 2009 while Milanova was completing a Master’s degree, Nikotine is based on what is known in English as ‘Smoking Is Bad For You’, a darkly golden piece by Anton Chekov.
Nikolai Nikolaievich has been ‘voluteered’ by his wife to deliver a lecture on the evil effects of tobacco, but we realise that it is at least as much the evil effects of his domineering wife that Nikolai suffers from.
In Milanova’s very capable hands, this Nikolai expresses some very Slavic personality traits, triumphant one moment, downcast the next, yet rising to almost every challenge except the one of finding a way out of his intolerable predicament.
Throughout, this is puppetry of a very high order indeed, and Milanova’s considerable skills outshine those of many highly competent puppet companies.
Getting ‘Nikolai’ to dance is but one of the highlights of this tight, short show, while the puppet’s outrageous flirtation with his puppeteer is a technical as well as visual delight.
Although it will be clear by now that this reviewer was completely sold on this production, as Stewie Griffen of ‘Family Guy’ might have it, this really is ‘Such a good show!’
It’s other attraction amid a not always family-friendly Fringe, is that this is one that really could delight a family audience, with the proviso that those who prefer their offspring remain ignorant of the wicked weed might be perturbed by the wonderful smoke effect, whose creation I am unable to credit.
In any event, these five stars are justly earned. Go see.”
(http://www.edinburghguide.com/festival/2012/edinburghfringe/nikotinereview-11070)
And here is the information about our show:
Aug 14-19 14:50
Aug 21-27 14:15
Venue 29: Paradise in the Vault
11a Merchant Street
EDINBURGH
EH1 2QD
Box Office: 0131 510 0022
Category: Theatre
For booking:
Sub-categories: puppetry, solo show, physical theatre, comedy
Ticket price: 8.50 (concessions 6.50)
Group Name: Milena Milanova of Atelier 313
In this adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play On the Harmful Effects of Smoking, Nikolai Nikotine is forced by his overbearing wife to deliver a symposium against one of his only remaining pleasures in life: smoking. But his topic soon turns from tobacco to the pitfalls of marriage and the trials and tribulations of being Nikolai Nikotine. Further in this blog you can find video teasers and more detailed information about the show and the artist.
Over the course of an hour, Nikotine lies and tells the truth, loves and hates, sings and dances, makes important decisions and introduces the audience to his only friends.
Awards :
- 2012 : First prize on the 7th International Festival Gala Star in Bacau, Romania
- 2011 : First prize on the 7th International Festival of The Solo Puppeteers in Lodz, Poland
- 2011 : Award of the puppetry section of The Polish Stage Actor’s Society on the 7th International Festival of The Solo Puppeteers.
- 2011 : Award of the polish section of UNIMA on the 7th International Festival of The Solo Puppeteers.
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