Afronauts – Dublin Fringe Festival – Review

AFRONAUTS – Circus Zambia & Wake The Beast

This play tells the unlikely story of a group of aspiring astronauts from Zambia! The year is 1964, and all the talk on the news is of the space race between the USA and the USSR. That is, until a new country enters the race — Zambia, of course. While the story may sound highly improbable, it is true. The man behind the mission was Edward Mukuka Nkoloso, who dreamed of making Zambia the first country to reach the moon. The story of the Afronauts has featured in numerous documentaries, but this production takes a very different approach, telling their story through acrobatics, song and good-natured theatre.

Aimed at audiences aged 5+, the play is particularly well suited to younger audience members, with a generous helping of playful audience participation. The production is packed with gags and moves along at an impressive pace. We meet a collection of young astronauts, each selected for their various talents, and hear their stories as they embark on their extraordinary training.

The acrobatics are genuinely impressive, with the cast demonstrating remarkable dexterity, strength and skill as they form human pyramids and throw one another through the air. These feats are presented as part of the astronauts’ rigorous training regimen. What we don’t see, however, is much discussion of the scientific elements of a space programme. But perhaps that raises a question at the heart of the production: are science and technical expertise really essential if you have enough self-belief? Can anyone travel to the moon if they simply want it badly enough? The honest answer is, of course, no — but that doesn’t stop these well-meaning individuals from throwing their hearts and souls into the attempt.

The humour is light-hearted and thoroughly family-friendly. Everything is performed with wide, infectious grins from a cast who are clearly having enormous fun on stage. While the original Afronauts never made it to the moon, the cast of this production have made it to the Edinburgh and Dublin Fringe Festivals, with a little help from the various organisations and embassies listed below, which is almost as impressive.

This is an exuberant and good-natured production that will put a smile on your face, while delighting its younger audience members in particular.

Cast & Crew:
Choreography: Diarmuid Armstrong Mayock, in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers: Kévin Coquelard, Valentin Lemaitre, Nathalie Schmidt, Astrid Sweeney
Executive producer: Greta Bourke
Lighting Design: Matt Burke
Composition: Dee Armstrong & Lughaidh Armstrong Mayock
Sound design: Lughaidh Armstrong Mayock
Set design: Bridget Ní Dhuinn
Costume design: LaurA Fajardo
Chief LX: Tiana Kokalj
Stage manager: Sinead Cormack
Production manager (Black Box Theatre): Fiona Murray
Production manager (The Civic): Eimear Conroy
Technician/set builder: Fiachra Davoren
Videography: Luca Truffarelli
Photography: Jimmy Kilgallen
Graphic Design: Nuria Vega Bariani
Mentors: Luke Murphy & Oona Doherty