The Ramps in Turkish Courthouse Disco

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What, where, when, why?
The Ramps in the Remarkable Tale of the Turkish Courthouse Disco

Happy (cnr Tory and Vivian) Friday 13th February 2009
Starts promptly at 9pm Tickets: $10 from Calico Jacks Boutique
(No door sales)

In a nutshell:
In the style of Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Bad Jelly the Witch by Spike Milligan, Mike Gwyther's comedic, dimension-leaping tale of love and the law colliding is set to a backdrop of Dance Rock performed by the Ramps. Think: band-based musicals such as We Will Rock You (Queen) and Mama Mia (Abba), replace the actors with mime and a narrator, and you're halfway there.

Dance Rock vs. Belly dancing in a parallel universe
Love is illegal in the City of Anchor Buttar. When stars cross, all hell breaks loose. Can music and dance save our young lovers from evil Judge Sneeve's Gavel of Justice?

In this cross-art form experiment The Ramps travel sideways in time to the wonder-laden streets of a future-Kiwi/Turkish dimension, where the four arts of Mime, Myth, Belly dancing and Dane Rock meet, and love fights the law.

As funny as it is tragic, as dark as it is uplifting, as contemporary as it is eternal, this one-night-only, never-to-be-repeated performance is as Fringe as it gets.

Cast:
The cast is split four ways. The Ramps, a fabulous Wellington-based dance rock band, form the musical focus of the evening with upbeat, dance orientated rock with a dark, 80s edge. The myth of the Turkish Courthouse Disco which creates the spine of the show was written by ex-pat Brit Mike Gwyther (author of two novels: Qualia and Angles) and is told in typically compelling style by Kiwi actor and author Dan Haimes, whose credits include The Seagull by Anton Chekhov - Circa; The Sea by Edward Bond - NZ College of Performing Arts), and who also doubles as the nefarious Judge Sneeve. Two mimes and a troupe of Belly dancers known only as the Bellycats provide the visual delights, completing our unique quadrangle of art forms.

The Ramps:
Eamon Nathan - drums
Mike Gwyther - vocals
David Wynn - bass
Shane Madzen - lead guitar

Narrator/actor:
Judge Sneeve - Dan Haimes

The Belly dancers:
The Bellycats

Mimes:
Jen and TBC

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www.theramps.com.

ENDS

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