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TEN SORRY TALES
A darkly comic family show with music and lyrics by Frank Moon and Bev Lee Harling. Mick Jackson's maudlin ten short stories are brought to life by Arthur Pita in a surreal mixture of dance-theatre and music.
Choreography: Arthur Pita
Music and lyrics: Frank Moon & Bev Lee Harling
Set & costume design: Yann Seabra
Lighting: Mark Doubleday
Premiered at Jerwood Dance East in December 2019, coming to Sadler's Wells December 2020.
"One figure who arrives fully formed is Frank Moon, a one-man band in the downstage corner who steers us through the evening with music ranging from restless klezmer to slow-footed dirge, from jangling keyboards to a woozily bowed saw, as querulous as the voice of a sensitive child." The Guardian
“The backbone of the piece comes in Frank Moon’s tireless performance of his own musical score (created with Bev Lee Harling), playing countless instruments and adding narrative whenever required. It was a remarkable marathon (or, perhaps, more appropriately, decathlon) of musicianship.” The Critics Circle
"The score is stunning and so full of the spirit of live storytelling — spoons, a Jew’s harp, ukelele, and keyboard organ are picked up, dropped, and played with performative flair before our very eyes, with onstage musician Frank Moon integrating live music with the pre-recorded tracks — composed by him along with Bev Lee Harling. The songs are very haunting and carry you into their dark embrace like the most bittersweet of lullabies, and overlaid saws, wailing, and cymbals create so much atmosphere and tone it is impossible to resist. At times the sounds went right through me — it was chilling and wonderful." Lost in Theatreland
“Driven by Moon’s aural alchemy, which layers live music over pre-recorded tapes via a bewildering variety of instruments, the six performers talk and dance, gesticulate and sing with elastic ease.” The Stage
"It’s all helped along enormously by multi-instrumentalist Frank Moon, who conjures us his own aural magic." Seeing Dance
"'If you like a happy ending,' intone the glum cast of Arthur Pita’s Ten Sorry Tales... 'maybe this isn’t the show for you'. Naturally, this warning is pure catnip for the audience... we are already eagerly anticipating the worst." The Guardian
