Beautiful Burnout - NZIAF

Sweat, punches, blood and banter. They all fly in this gritty and explosive piece of physical theatre about the most controversial sport of our time.

The square circle – where a single punch can make dreams come true, or leave them pulverised on the canvas. For four young men and one woman from the mean, grey streets of Glasgow it’s that simple, and that hard. But which stars will shine and which ones will fade into darkness?

Returning to the Festival after their 2008 hit Black Watch, the National Theatre of Scotland joins forces with masters of physical theatre Frantic Assembly for this knockout production. Authentic to the extreme, Beautiful Burnout’s young cast spent months in training so every jab, hook and uppercut feels flinchingly realistic.

With the audience seated around a boxing ring, Beautiful Burnout unfolds to the throbbing electronic beats of Underworld. The sublimely choreographed training and fight sequences simply ooze adrenaline, and the climactic scene – a fight played out in both frantic full-speed and incredible slow motion – is simply breathtaking.

Whether you see boxing as the ‘noble art’ or barbarian brutality, the pace and passion of writer Bryony Lavery’s Beautiful Burnout will leave you gasping for air.
Get your seat ringside.

Age recommendation: 14+

Contains strobe lighting

Sponsored by TV3

Supported by the Scottish Government International Touring Fund