"We played to packed houses in all of our venues. The Dark Eyed Warrior was a wonderful experience for our audiences bringing to them the rich Bulgarian culture. The company is a fine team complementing each other in an apparent effortless manner. Such apparent ease is a testament to their craft and their attention to detail.

"The combination of such accomplished storytelling supported by brilliant Bulgarian singing and music was breathtaking. A Spell in Time are aptly named. Our audiences were spellbound by the performance barely wishing to draw breath in case the spell was broken."

"A Spell In Time produced a delightful programme consisting of parts of an epic Bulgarian folk tale, rituals, music and dance at All Saints Arts Centre in Whetstone, North London. It is part of a tour funded by the Arts Council England Lottery Programme. The remarkable stories retold here have been translated by Paraskeva Armstrong, the director Moni Sheehan's gracious mother.

"If you love Balkan and particularly Bulgarian music then this performance will bring alive and put in context some of the songs and dances you have learned and may inspire you to find out more. Even if you are unfamiliar with this county and its culture, you will be introduced to something special.

"I first saw Moni perform with Dessislava Stefanova and Ivor Davies at Camden Ceilidh about five years ago. Their performances combine dark and light in breath-taking but equal measure. I still recall one particular tale in which the woman cuts off one of her breasts to feed to her unsuspecting husband after the cat ate the chicken she had prepared for their supper. (Afterwards her still unsuspecting husband says that it was delicious and asks for more!) But although the content of the stories may sometimes be bloody and gruesome, we are not left feeling terrified.

"This time the stories retold by Moni were about the exploits of King Marko (Krali Marko) and his talking horse Sharkoliya. Blood spilling, graphic description of slaying from top to tail, impossible but heroic feats, swimming through storm-tossed seas, barrenness, death and loss combine with music, song, dance, and Bulgarian rituals for the good health of humans and horses, and rituals celebrating birth, marriage and the summer solstice. Images of the dawn, sun and stars, forest and water nymphs and various plants add to the folk tale ambience. Moni explained: "On St Enyo's Day, marking the summer solstice, medicinal plants are at their most potent: cranesbill for all round good health, sweet basil for eternal love, marigold to cure sleeplessness and cowslip to banish evil spirits."

"Moni, dressed in traditional Bulgarian costume (as are the others), narrates the tale with mesmerising charm, luring the listener on dangerous rides into the darkness and out the other side into the light, eventually. As she declaims, she sways in time with the horse and beguiles us with her smile. She and singer Dessi with her spine-tingling voice combine in song and dance to enact some Bulgarian rituals in which they entice a willing audience, inviting us on one occasion to walk under an arc of flowers for good health. Dessi's songs reflect and enhance the mood, moving effortlessly from the dancing delight of a young maiden or nymph to heart-piercing laments. Ivor, playing on his customised harp and drum provides the atmosphere of foreboding and storms, and the rhythm of the galloping horse bearing its hero over land and sea. Boris Kommitsky, guest for this performance, plays haunting melodies on the kaval (Bulgarian wooden flute). The gudoulka is played alternately by Ivor and Dessi. This is a small stringed instrument about the size of a violin. The strings are stopped with the musician's finger nails, hence its other name as nail fiddle. Although a bow is also used, the gudoulka, unlike the violin, is held upright in front of the chest.

"One point to note is that although as children we are brought up listening to folk tales, the players recommend that the tales are best appreciated by children over the age of twelve. Younger children may not understand or may even be frightened by the stories. The storytelling is spread out over a couple of hours with an interval. It is well-paced and spaced with dances, singing and music. My twelve-year-old daughter and her Japanese friend of the same age were entranced throughout. The sheet of background information and the programme notes for each piece were helpful and interesting (but may need further explanation to twelve-year-olds).

"The group tours the country, so check their website for details. You can be assured of an uplifting and magical night out."

"I was delighted to catch A Spell In Time's performance at Camden Ceilidh at the end of last season. The Red Blood Rose is a juxtaposition of narratives depicting the act of shedding blood as the rite of passage that enables the other self to bloom. A bride awaits her husband on her wedding night; a monk shows a maiden how to dance; a maiden shows the heroes of the realm how to wield a sword and we are ready to run with the stag from the forest  with the sun on its forehead, the moon on its breast and the stars upon its back.

"A Spell In Time has a unique contribution to make to the English-speaking world in that these narratives are not readily available. They have been translated from Bulgarian by Paraskeva Georgieva Armstrong, an invisible but essential member of the company.

"This repertoire with its extraordinarily poetic imagery, fierce exploits and encounters with magical elemental spirits ... resonates with aspects of Indian mythology. For me it was as though I had found the long lost bridge between the imagined continents of The East and The West whilst actually travelling the same narrative road as Alexander the Great.

"The company comprises Moni Sheehan, Ivor Davies and Dessislava Stefanova who between them tell, play Bulgarian instruments and sing in that unmistakable Bulgarian style. Story, music, song, costume, and folk rituals have come closer to representing an entire culture than any other British based group I know. Musical and dramatic, it's nevertheless still traditional storytelling at its most deeply colourful red."

"A Spell In Time's work in presenting Bulgarian myth and folklore to the British public is unique. Their exciting pioneering style of theatre brings to life the power and passion of Bulgarian traditional culture and creates an unforgettable experience for modern British audiences.

"A Spell In Time has a valuable contribution to make in promoting artistic collaboration and understanding between our communities."

"This is both primal and poetic theatre, a blend of ritual, storytelling, music and singing. Moni Sheehan is a spellbinding storyteller and Dessislava Stefanova's singing is lyrical and haunting. The music is most atmospheric.

"In the first half of the programme, the ritual performed by girls to summon up young men leads seamlessly into a song about marriage being consummated and the story of Lyulyana. This tells how a young bride regains her freedom by being transformed into a deer. However the story that follows, about the Arvatska Maiden, isn't ultimately as compelling.

"Still, the story of the Brother and Sister is well worth the wait. This is both darkly funny and pretty primeval, a grisly tale in which the brother and sister have to flee from parents who want to eat them. It makes Hansel and Gretel seem quite tame in comparison.

"This is an intriguing and entrancing piece of theatre for grown-ups who can sit still and listen. Set design is simple but effective and the lighting works well too."

"I went as family representative to see this; we would all have liked to have seen it but only I was able to make it. I did not have any preconceived ideas except that I gleaned from the publicity that it would be an exciting mix of drama, costume, music and singing. I just sat back and enjoyed it for what it was, and I loved it.

"It had a powerful start with Ivor, a very versatile musician on drum, and Dessislava's powerful singing. That led into one of those 'Have you brought?' lists, which was quite mesmerising. It was told by Moni in beautifully poetic language. There was plenty of variety, mime, humour - I loved the shaving sequence later, riddles, multi-instrumentation - including what looked like an autoharp that had been de-autoed, and dancing. It was about sex, not that smutty TV sex but the raw, real stuff that has got us all by for centuries. It was about rites of passage, people turning into deer and stags - 'my human heart I leave behind, but my soul will always be free', bleeding and not bleeding on their white shifts on their wedding nights - and their fates being altered because of that. It was about boys meeting girls, brothers and sisters, gender roles, and incestuous cannibalism - the husband once tempted by having his wife's breast served up for his tea naturally craved more flesh and pursued his children, as they lay all sorts of magical obstacles in his way to delay him. It was of course very Grimm and symbolic, but good just as unclothed stories.

"The sable hat episode reminded me of King Arthur and the sword in the stone. The red eggs at Easter, the lamb on St George's day, and the ice cold water for New Year reminded me of rituals in neighbouring Romania - I remembered the symbolic throwing of the scarves off the head of the bride at a wedding in a village in Transylvania, also the bread and the wreath.

"The whole evening went at a pace, and I seldom found my mind wandering. The programme was beautifully rounded off and even if I had not read their informative programme, or spoken to them, I would have seen the authenticity and intelligence through the performance.

"..I thought it was brilliant.. Thanks to A Spell In Time."

"Unusual, dynamic and captivating... a fabulous blend of storytelling, ritual and music combined with sublime Bulgarian singing."

"No company that I'm aware of, does what A Spell In Time does so superbly - mixing the myths and legends of an exotic culture and expressing them in their own inimitable and compelling way, through music, song and the spoken word."

"A Spell In Time, as their name implies, enchant and captivate their audiences, suspending disbelief during the performance. Just remember to breathe!"

"A marvellous evening, full of chills and thrills at the back of the neck."

SOME COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE

"Absolutely stunning and unbearably moving - I was riveted and moved to the core."
Merlin Theatre, Sheffield

"Thank you for the magic. I rocked in the cradle, ran with the deer, beat the heroes !! and sat in the oak. And I'd like to again..."
Spirit Horse Nomadic Circle, Wales

"Fantastic performance and a wonderful workshop"
Spirit Horse Nomadic Circle, Wales

"Beautiful - team obviously know each other well and worked together brilliant - music, dance, stories and traditions blended together with magic."
Mythstories Club, Shropshire

"A real audience pleasing mix of story, music and dance, the haunting Bulgarian vocals a particular, penetrating pleasure."
Bernard Kelly, Coordinator of Camden Ceilidh, London

"A unique, thoroughly captivating experience. Beautiful."
Mythstories Club, Shropshire

"Fantastic - a real treat. I have a special interest in deer mythology."
Birmingham Storytelling Cafe

"What a fantastic evening. I especially enjoyed the singing, stories, dance, music (i.e. everything)"
The Voice Box, Derby

"Thank you for a wonderful vocal, visual and exciting evening."
St Mary-in-the Castle Arts Centre, Hastings

"Magical - I can't see and hear enough. Thank you."
Storytelling-in-Hope, London

"Thank you - it was spellbinding! A magical atmosphere and I enjoyed hearing/seeing myths from so long ago repeated."
Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax

"Amazing! A real privilege to see this performance. Thanks"
Storytelling-in-Hope, London

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