The year is 1010, his vision is 20:20, his chances are 50/50

Soop presents the remarkable true story of Eilmer, the Malmesbury monk who tried to fly.
Hampshire's vibrant, innovative new company has been delighting audiences in the south of England with its genre-defying blend of physical theatre, puppetry, and inventive storytelling, and now they come to London in a tour that coincides with the 1000th anniversary of Eilmer's 'flight'.

As Malmesbury Abbey prepares anxiously for a royal visit, Brother Eilmer keeps nipping up the bell-tower with a book about Daedalus and some food for the jackdaws. Meanwhile, bored with plundering the same old towns along the Bristol Channel, the Vikings have decided to take a trip further inland. As the villagers meet the pillagers, the followers of Odin find the church-bell appealing, and Ethelred tries not to swap his kingdom for a Norse. But where on earth is Eilmer?

"Clever in both concept and execution, laugh-out-loud-funny, genuinely sad and hugely uplifting...on so many levels, a brilliant night out." The News (See Below)
 
The Flying Monk is history without the boring bits, "a fun packed and exciting show - " (Remotegoat) that will entertain across the generations.

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Directed by
Vincent Adams
Designed by
Francine Huin-Wah
Devised by
Nathan Chapman, Sarah Hutchinson, Peter Henderson, Sian Green and Henry Oastler
Music by
Denise Baugh
Kevin Jacks

The Flying Monk At the Havant Arts Centre Premium Article ! Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button. Options Premium Article ! To read this article in full you must have registered and have a Premium Content Subscription with the The News site. Subscribe Registered Article ! To read this article in full you must be registered with the site. Sign In Register Published Date: 18 September 2009 By James George Not so long ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Soop's first show, The Overcoat, so I was curious to see if they could maintain that level of inventiveness and creativity with second outing The Flying Monk. Once again this is a devised piece with input from the cast under the eye of director Vincent Adams and, once again, it is, on so many levels, a brilliant night out. The airborne monk of the title is one Eilmer of Malmesbury, an historical figure celebrated in stained glass in Malmesbury Abbey. But did he really fly? The truth is irrelevant. Soop's production assumes he did and weaves a story as to how and why. It is clever in both concept and execution, laugh-out-loud-funny, genuinely sad and hugely uplifting. Henry Oastler is an actor we don't see often enough. His Eilmer treads a dangerous line between character and caricature, but always comes down firmly on the side of character. The rest of the cast, having created the script between them, guard it jealously and play it with gusto. New, original local theatre.