PARADISE LOST From Lost Dog Announces Dates For This Summer
The production is written by, directed by, and performed by Ben Duke.
By: Stephi Wild May. 06, 2021
LOST DOG's award-winning, critically acclaimed production, PARADISE LOST (lies unopened beside me) is to be revived and re-staged in June and July. Written by, directed by, and performed by the multi-talented dancer/actor Ben Duke, this one-man show, inspired by John Milton's 1667 epic poem, started its own epic journey across UK theatres in 2015 and toured virtually nonstop for two years. Garlanded by critical acclaim, audience delight and industry awards, the 2021 version is ready to entertain new audiences.
Paradise Lost...combines theatre, comedy and movement on a journey through the story of the creation of everything condensed into 80 minutes, beginning with Lucifer's rebellion and ending with Adam and Eve's expulsion from The Garden of Eden.
Ben Duke muses on reviving a much-loved show:
"For me 2020 was a time of panic and creative paralysis. I felt unsafe and it made me realise what a privileged position I normally occupy in order to have the head space for art. It is a luxury and one that I took for granted before March 2020. Secondly in the name of 'coming back greener' I am offering not something new but something old. I am upcycling Paradise Lost... which involves getting rid of the cobwebs on the smoke machine and getting a new costume with a larger waist!"
"Duke veers wildly from the original poem in a retelling alive with amusing detail, casting God as Lucifer's needy boyfriend and having battling angels squeezing through the galley kitchen in the Almighty's designer flat. Deftly scripted, Duke threads scenes from his own life through the narrative...using a mixture of text, movement and slightly bewildered charm that makes him very good company." (Evening Standard)
In October 2020, at the height the pandemic, LOST DOG released a new piece created specifically for digital platforms. In A Nutshell was commissioned by The Place and the Rural Touring Dance Initiative, and is a 15-minute film that explores the absurd wonder of live performance from the point of view of a man living in a world where the theatres have closed for good. Like all Lost Dog's work it is bleak and funny, uplifting and raw. The film caught the zeitgeist, received over 6k views in its first month and was widely and generously reviewed. You can see In A Nutshell here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiMX1_bE7U8.
Production Dates:
June 23rd, 24th Newbury Corn Exchange at 7.45pm
Tickets: £21 https://cornexchangenew.com/
June 26th Brighton Concert Hall at 8pm
Tickets: £15 https://brightondome.org/
July 8th, 9th Ustinov Studio @ Theatre Royal Bath at 8pm
Tickets: £18.50 https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/your-visit/ustinov/
PR/press tickets etc: judy.lipsey@lipseypr.com
Trailer here: https://youtu.be/HZg8kF2jVkg
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