'ONE SONG - HDT IV' TRIUMPHS AT FESTIVAL D'AVIGNON

“The most exalted show of the opening days (…) eliciting a  massive ovation”, writes The Guardian (****) in its report on the 76th edition of the Festival d'Avignon, one of the most important theatre festivals in the world (from 7 to 26 July). The leading British newspaper awards no less than four stars to ONE SONG, a creation that the Belgian artist Miet Warlop made together with NTGent and at the invitation of artistic director Milo Rau, as part four of the series ‘Histoire(s) du Théâtre’.

The New York Times calls the many standing ovations for ONE SONG – HDT IV in Avignon "more than deserved" and describes the performance in its review as "loud, preposterous and extremely entertaining". According to The New York Times, the Festival d'Avignon has it’s buzz back after a few difficult years, "and one world premiere captured the boisterous mood better than any other".

 The French press is also very enthusiastic about ONE SONG – HDT IV. Le Monde calls Warlop "a fascinating artist who is finally getting more recognition". According to Les Echos, the performance "enchanted" Avignon. Theatral Magazine judges the performance to be "a small miracle". A miracle "that awakened the festival" with "a comforting and deeply moving trance, thanks to the power of the collective". Toute La Culture saw "tragedy, generosity and humour", as well as "beauty with the allure of the great dramas, and it is these that constitute the essence of the history of theatre".

"A rocking primal scream that bursts with zest for life, energy and humour", summarises Belgian leading newspaper De Standaard (****). "A powerful but salutary knockout," says Le Soir. "Seventeen years after the performance Sportband, Warlop's requiem for her brother Jasper, ONE SONG tells us that grief always stays with us, but also that grief - by carrying it together - is transformed, from the intimate to the universal, and allows us to go to the limits of what seems humanly possible".