Sven Swenson's Heavenly Bodies and Beautiful Souls

Sven Swenson's Heavenly Bodies and Beautiful Souls

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Posted 2015-10-13 by Toni Meganfollow

Wed 18 Nov 2015 - Sat 28 Nov 2015

On Monday I was invited to a rehearsals for Sven Swenson's Heavenly Bodies and Beautiful Souls , which I can now safely say are both brilliant productions set to hit the Brisbane Powerhouse as a double feature in November.



**Heavenly Bodies
**Heavenly Bodies is set during the Second World War and focuses on newly enlisted solider, 'Cutty' who is supposed to be off enjoying his night of furlough. Whilst he does enjoy himself over the course of the evening, it is not in the way he, nor the audience, could possibly predict. To the soundtrack of bombs falling and fireworks echoing in the distance, viewers are given insight into the friendship he forges with Laidie, a Comfort Woman of Australian origin, during times where acceptance and compassion were not so commonly found.

**Beautiful Souls
**The audience watching Beautiful Souls is given a peek into three small cells in a Thai prison. In these cells are Bethany, David, and David's intellectually disabled brother, Justin. The three are waiting to hear whether or not their pleas have been heard; whether or not their executions for smuggling drugs will be halted. Audience members will draw correlations between Svenson's script and the deaths of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, whose final weeks were splashed about on the media, after they too were sentenced to death for smuggling drugs out of Bali. Theatre should leave you thinking, and I left pondering where the media outrage disappeared after their deaths, and how many other young people have faced this severe consequence since, who have not received the same media outcry as the two men.

I am always thrilled when able to witness Swenson's creations coming to life because I am always left feeling something. Whilst the feeling changes with each play, the strength of the feeling does not. I was most definitely touched by Heavenly Bodies, which has made me consider, in-depth, the way other people live. It was Beautiful Souls however that caused tears to fill my eyes as their dire situation was slowly revealed. I tried to stay strong in front of the cast, but I must admit I cried a little on the drive home and have made a note to pack tissues when I head back to see it again in November.

Heavenly Bodies and Beautiful Souls is presented by Pentimento Production in association with Brisbane Powerhouse.
CREDITS
**Heavenly Bodies
**Regan Lynch, Sam Ryan

**Beautiful Souls
**With Casey Woods, Peter Norton and Zachary Boulton

Produced by Ro Taylor
Directed by Sven Swenson and James Trigg
Designed by Ray Milner
Lighting Design by Matty Milne
Sound Design by Ryan Mahony
Composed by Peter Crees
Image Design by Sean Dowling

13 plus. nudity and adult themes

#november
#brisbane_city
#new_farm
#shows
#theatre
#theatre -reviews
#things_to_see
!date 18/11/2015 -- 28/11/2015
%wnbrisbane
171607 - 2023-06-15 09:12:14

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