Reviews

• Rosa-Maria

  Jul 18, 2016

  We loved Paco Penas show on Saturday. The narrator captivated us,the music was both beautiful and haunting in parts and the dancers were mesmerising. Paco Pena was exemplary as always.... Thought the whole production was executed well with footage and quotations that brought to light the reality of the Spanish Civil war. Loved the overlap of voices narrating in Spanish but also giving an English rendition for non-Spanish speakers. Fantastic!! Strongly recommend it.

• Ilke Usluca

  Jul 17, 2016

  Thank you for such a great show, it was really sentimental and great to see!

• Dawn farmiloe

  Jul 17, 2016

  We love Paco Pena flamenco dance company But thought this was very dark and not much of a story and also not much Dance, Very disappointing but a great company.

• ann liebeck

  Jul 17, 2016

  Absolutely brilliant in all ways, the concept, dance, music, projections...

• Nicky Atherton

  Jul 16, 2016

  Outstanding performances and emotions. Wonderful, we felt very lucky to have the chance to share this experience.

• Alison Irvine

  Jul 16, 2016

  A wonderful show . I was so pleased to have so much of Paco playing ( in the first half ) but the troup were magnificent and the political message was powerfully expressed .

• Andrée

  Jul 16, 2016

  Superb. Each performer was a virtuoso and master of his/her art form. Rare to watch something so wonderful and captivating.

• Penny

  Jul 16, 2016

  The sounds and images of Spain in pain on the 15th of July. After the massacre in Nice on Bastille day. A link from the loss of Lorca a martyr in the Spanish civil war to this days' loss of our martyrs poignantly brought to us by this amazing company. Quite brilliant.

• Marina Sanchez

  Jul 14, 2016

  What an extraordinary evening! Though I am a dedicated fan of Paco Pena and his dance company and have been to his shows many times over the years, I wasn't prepared for Patrias. It is a subtle, moving and powerful mix of flamenco song and dance, poetry and film. This tribute to Lorca's life and art encompasses a tribute to the Spanish Civil War. As the daughter of a Republican fighter, I was moved to tears on a number of occasions throughout the show. But because of the artistry and passion of the performers, it was also very honouring of both sides and the sadness and pity of any armed conflict that splits communities. Though the sets and costumes were appropriately sober, the dancing was superb. If I have any reservations it was the delivery of the poetry in both English and Spanish which was hard to hear in either language. This was a pity because the delivery of all the wonderful poems in the original Spanish was lost. I wondered if it would be possible to hand out English translations of Lorca's poems before the performance? Or to project them in full in the back screen? But apart from that it is a phenomenal and timely tribute that reminds us that we all belong to the family of humanity. The genius and artistry of Paco Pena and his unique dance company have made it possible. The experience will stay for me always. I can't recommend it enough.

• Eric Turner

  Jul 14, 2016

  We are long term enthusiasts of flamenco music, dance and culture. This performance disappointed us on all levels. The guitar music lacked passion and depth and there was excessive buzzing in the treble strings. The dance was unimaginative and failed to thrill and technically there was too much shoe noise on the stage which muddied the actual tapping. The absence of any staging or particular lighting just amplified the overall sense of mediocrity. In brief, not at all worthy of this illustrious venue.

• B.M.Thomas

  Jul 13, 2016

  The show was excellent, but we would not expect less from Paco Pena and Company who have been our hero's for a great number of years. Paco's expertise with the guitar never seems to diminish with age,and long may it continue.Flamenco embodies the pain that was still evident in the 1960's and the sad death of Lorca in those brutal earlier years.

• GT Bromley

  Jul 13, 2016

  Pena and his guitarists' playing was spectacular and a delight for a while. The dancers were very good and the backdrops portraying the intensity of the warfare of the 1930's were well executed. But Spanish and English simultaneous narration over music was carcaphonic and hard to follow, while for me Flamenco means colour and this production was 'grey-scale only'. Spanish speaking historians may love it. We found it drab and too long and we left before the end.