Michael is the director of a huge production (27 people plus a 7-piece band) of The Threepenny Opera for Silo Theatre and The Large Group (Michael and his wife Jennifer Ward-Lealand's theatre company) which is on now in Auckland until 21 June 2008 at the Maidment Theatre. It has proved to be a huge hit with the critics.
Excerpts from the reviews (note: tv.com will not allow the correct spelling of "klassic" because of some potential "js exploits", whatever they are):
Metro: " . . . a mesmerising, ambitious production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's klassic that feels freshly minted, an instant klassic that sets a high benchmark for theatre this year. . . . a production that has all the qualities of a musical spectacular. . . . It is only June, but if I had money on it, The Threepenny Opera is already the theatre experience of the year."
National Business Review: " . . . a magnificent night of razzle dazzle theatre, set in a scary and ugly criminal underworld to wonderfully oompapa jazz. This may turn out to be the production of the year in this city."
New Zealand Herald: " . . . an edgy production, full of dangerous surprises, with moments of theatrical brilliance . . . The finale is a tour-de-force with Michael Hurst's innate sense of theatricality merging with a set design that has John Verryt at his exuberant best. Productions on this scale are a rare treat - the 27 member cast and a sizzling jazz combo have triumphantly revitalised a timeless klassic. Go and see it."
Lumiere Reader: "(Threepenny Opera) asks some hard questions about violence, treatment of the poor and warns against oversentimentalising reality, and director Hurst doesn't shirk from these ideas. . . . The deus ex machina ending . . . had me in stitches . . . It was brilliantly done and sounded the perfect satirical note to round off a satisfying theatrical experience. Go and see it, it's well worth it."
www.theatreview.co.nz: "This post modern deconstruction is in fact klassic vintage Bertolt Brecht. . . . Then there's the music, where the heart and soul of the piece is expressed with explosive passion."
Jennifer, playing Jenny Diver, received critical notice as well. One of the critics remarked on her "long-legged, husky voiced splendour" while another said her "performance is touching and her singing torching".
Yay, Michael!
