THE
RAPTURE
Moira Finucane, one of the world’s greatest performance chameleons, literary genius and apocalyptic rock goddess brings her major new work. A transcendent emporium of gothic-erotic dreams, rock’n’roll angels, soul-searing music, skin-shedding tales, and total art.
Dripping with visual art relics, porcelain icicles, & an otherworldly choir, The Rapture is a cult & shimmering throwdown. This is art vs extinction, with drinks at the bar at the end of the world.
Audiences & critics across 5 continents call Finucane ‘transcendent’, ‘exquisite’, ‘sumptuous’ & ‘volcanic’. Now Finucane sets fire to her legendary variety oeuvre, reincarnating herself as a transformer, a snake always shedding her skin; writhing through a visual feast of prophecy, Gothic dreams, birds of prey, soaring wings
and apocalyptic fairy tales.
Couturiers, composers, jewellers, sculptors, painters, performers, singers & faux-furriers. This is preposterous talent in a party on the edge of the abyss.
Reviews
“Moira Finucane’s gothic appropriation of a Catholic Mass, is a surreal and spectacular series of monologues, most of them addressing issues of climate change, feminism, and surprisingly, given the shape of the vehicle, only a little of religion. The high priest(ess)-creator is a role she’s made for herself, and she takes it with all the confidence you’d expect of one of Melbourne’s most iconic performers. The action is delivered with an intensity that shifts at times between the charming and the vicious, the histrionic and the droll, the pathetic and the passionate.”
DAILY REVIEW, AUSTRALIA
“Directors Moira Finucane and Jackie Smith understand better than most how to set the mood for a show. Their fingerprints are all over the theatre from the outset; the lights are low, the air is hazy and there's a slightly shabby, mysterious atmosphere, with sculptures hanging like stalactites from ornate chandeliers..........Embracing complexity in performance – through dialogue, costume, characterisation and theme – is the reason The Rapture is difficult to pin down. These are the same reasons the work is so interesting and what makes Finucane such an engaging artist.
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
“The tale of systemic oppression could not be more illuminating if somewhat literal. Sitting beside that is the visual and sonic portrait of a woman in a bikini by the beach. First we see the photoshopped fairytale but then Finucane looks deeper and we see the truth behind the picture. It is small and dark and painful and it is reality - a reality we don't want to see and one we definitely don't ever want to speak out loud.Words are dangerous and words which come from women are so much more dangerous. I heard a quote on TV the other day from Once Upon A Time. A character says "There is nothing more dangerous than an untold story". The story of women is the longest untold story in the history of 'man' kind.Beware The Rapture. Ecstasy is a double edged sword and The Rapture is sitting on the knife edge. It is sublime. It is divine. It is dangerous. Do you dare to hear what this prophet has to say? Can you risk not hearing her? I think not!"
WHAT DID SHE THINK. COM
“I am speechless. I have just experienced something extraordinary. If you've never seen a Moira Finucane performance, you've probably never seen anything like it. The Rapture, Moira's latest show which premiered in Melbourne last night, is unique. It is definitive Moira. I decided during the show that Moira is burlesque sans frontiers; what Moira wants to do, Moira will do. Want to make a political statement? Sure! Want to get naked? Goes without saying! Want to don claws and feathers and threaten to rip out audience members' hearts? - well, yes, if it's in a good cause.
WEEKEND NOTES
“Finucane's strong storytelling skills are evident as she has us hanging of her every word. It's a shame however that the sound was not always up to scratch, with moments where we are unable to hear what Finucane is saying. Her recollections of her time in Chile and France are fascinating and linked in well with the performances. "A Sunny Afternoon" is a breathtaking act, and a personal favourite, where Finucane makes a powerful statement about our expectations and idealisation of beauty and women in society. This non-verbal piece is paired with U2’s hit song "With or Without You" and its gradual fierce impact is easily felt throughout the audience........ While usually performing with an ensemble, The Rapture has allowed Finucane to open herself up in a way that is not possible when sharing the stage. Her performance is more honest (sometimes brutally), evocative and inspiring than it has ever been before as she exposes her fears, frustrations, hopes and joys. Moira Finucane is considered a national treasure in Australia and this sublime show perfectly explains why. The Rapture is here, there's no denying it. The question is: what are we going to do about it?
MYMELBOURNEARTS.COM
