Monthly Archives: May 2011

All Dance and No Story?…

By Wendy Simmons

The musical play The Trials of Busta Keaton is an exciting display of artistry put to sound. Full of dance performances, the players  incorporated ballet, hip hop, breakdancing and jazz all while shaded in black, white and grays in order to transform the stage into an old black and white movie. With added splashes of color the entire production was elating however not what I expected to see.

Branded as a modern day urban tribute to the silent film guru Buster Keaton, it gave the impression of the silent film genre displayed on stage. There were many dance performances but only one scene that actually gave me the impression of a story being told.

If you are a fan of dance pageantry then Busta Keaton is the play for you! But don’t expect to be lead into a past where your imagination and the performers interpretation evoke emotion. That’s what I expected and was sadly disappointed.

I give it $$