Mayumana: Total wiggle, percussion and view.

Back they fortunately are this group of "comprehensive performers". Normally, one witnesses a good or very good play, concert, dance etc... but not very often can one see the gathering of all the most relevant perceptions taken to the maximum… No exageration... Virtual reality?... Actual real-animal-ity.

They are not animals, though at times you might think that they are baboons, because of the way they move, or the noise they make. It is hard to believe that they are JUST human beings, since they summon up such an amount of qualities it is rather unlikely to find all those gifts in one person, but a lot more in a whole group.

All this might sound a bit like overdoing it, and simply having enjoyed a rather percussive event, because the one writing is a percussionist himself. Yet, it is not only that, I am not going to focus on the excellent musical show it is in itself, though that would make it good enough to be considered one of the best concerts-events you can see these days in Madrid. In fact I was basically interested for its drumming output. However, I can perfectly ignore that and still highlight the excellence of this work for its scenography, for its dancing, for its theatrical aspects, for its comical sketches, for its incredible set up and light coordination, for its body language, for the well balanced and devised sound and sounds, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…

The actual show is split in different short sketches, on which they put all the elements aforementioned together… urban, in a restaurant, on the beach scenes… all sorts of situations, using all kinds of unfathomable noises, from your own body to those of bins (especially litter bins, thoroughly exploited), tins, floor, metals, bubbly waterrrrrrglrrrp..glup.. simply anything in the most inventive way you can imagine…

In any case, I am not going to say more about it, since it is simply not to be missed. If you like percussion, don't even doubt it, but also if you like theatre, or the dancing. Besides, if you like all these types of performances... then you will lack senses to gather up and perceive all the shades they release in perfect synchronicity.

This is the way this phenomenon was created: "Mayumana" was founded in 1996 by Eylon Nuphar and Boaz Berman, who first toyed with the idea for a number of years. Say Boaz and Eylon: "we aimed to create a show that would combine elements from most of the arts, based of course, on rhythm. We are both percussionists. Rhythm is an integral part of our day to day life." They found an abandoned rehearsal hall in Tel Aviv and, with the original Mayumana Group, they built a stage and started rehearsing. Since then, the group has gone through many changes and the members were replaced several times. After hundreds of auditions, the right people were found. " We looked for mischief and a spark of madness together with mandatory rhythm". The present group worked for a year and a half on the current show. "Aside from creative inspiration, a lot of skills were required to do what we pictured in our heads. The name "Mayumana" came from the Hebrew word for skill, Meyumanut".

The show is being shown at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo from 10 October until at elast 3 November or even further longer. During the week, on Wednesdays & Thursdays at 20:30, Fridays & Saturdays at 21:00 and 23:30, and Sundays at 20:30.

Admission: Range from 25 to 30 € on Wednesdays; 28 to 33 € on Thursdays and Sundays; and 30 to 35 € on Fridays and Saturdays. Special discounts for groups over 20. Ticekts available at Servicaixa, tel: 902 33 22 11 and El Corte Ingles, tel: 902 400 222.

Anyway, our deepest congratulations to the organizars and promoters for bringing such fantastic, innovative and outstanding group, check their very good website for a closer look: www.mayumana.co.il