Last night was “dress-up and go to The City”.
Several weeks ago I saw ads for “The Black Rider” playing at the ACT. Black Rider was a collaboration between Robert Wilson, Tom Waits and William S Burroughs. I had never heard of the first, but I (of course) know of the other two, and those names alone were enough to make me spend far too much on second row seats.
The show was everything I might have hoped for from such a collaboration.
Wonderful music (with a live orchestra playing such bizarre instruments as a glass harmonica, a didgeridoo and a saw and bow. The production was stunning and captivating. It was done in a minimalist, expressionist style, yet still kept you completely entranced. It was as-if Tim Burton decided to produce Kabuki theater.
This was also my first time seeing a show in the ACT. I can remember back in ’89, during my first visit to San Francisco for some MacWorld tradeshow. I stayed in the Hotel Diva, right on Geary across the street from the ACT, and I would sleep with my head right at the window sill, listening to the theater crowd gather before the show, and then the buzz and chatter during intermission, and then the river of people leaving after the show. Having been a theater geek in college, I very much wanted to see the inside of the theater (what kind of scene shop do they have, I wonder?) and eventually see a show there. I’m embarrassed I waited so long, but it was well worth it. It’s just a gorgeous, grand old theater. Next time I need to find out how one gets a box seat. And I won’t wait fifteen years for a “next time”.
Last night scratched a lot of itches. The live theater itch, the live music itch, the surreal experience itch, the dressing up itch. All in all, a good night.
I saw the same show last Sunday. We were way up in the top balcony, but during intermission got a look at the orchestra pit – to determine the origins of the unusual sounds I had heard – and was very curious about that mysterious shimmery instrument. So I’m so glad you could enlighten me to the fact that it was a glass harmonica. How does the thing work? Is it the same principle as playing wine glasses?
>How does the thing work? Is it the same principle as playing wine glasses?
I believe so. Remember the scene where one actor walked across the stage, rubbing the rim of a wine glass? That was the glass harmonica making the noise. (I could see into the pit to watch it being played.)
What did you think of the show? Did you dig it?
I am sorry to say, I think I was just not in the right frame of mind to really apreciate it. I didn’t know a thing about it going in, except that it was a play and Tom Waits was somehow involved. So i was expecting somthing more play – like, and this was more like, as you so aptly put it, Kabuki theatre, maybe mixed with modern dance. I did apreciate the wild creativity of some of it, and also that it was in many ways technically remarkable. Like the orchestra being so in synch with the motions of the actors in a lot of places. And the scene where they drop the opaque screen in front of the stage, and everything starts kind of floating away…. that was really amazing. My favorite actor was the big guy that sometimes wore a black cape and had lots of monolouges. He had a really great voice. I was particularly fond of the “Just like marajuana leads to heroine” monolouge, as well as the very last one he did about compromizing your artistic integrity. Yeah, it definitely had its moments.
It probably helps that I have a particularly healthy appetite for the bizarre. 🙂
I was at the sunday matinee too, and I enjoyed it very much. We had free tickets in row H – can’t beat that 🙂
Free tickets? How’d you manage that? I’m three kinds of jealous.
my girlfriend wrote a preview of it for her magazine. Even though she’s not writing a review after the fact, they still slipped her a couple of free tickets. Very nice stuff. The press always gets the special treatment…
I did love the show, but on so many levels I didn’t know what to make of it either. I guess I love it for the same reason I love the first season of twin peaks.
That sounds so cool! If I ever have any free time again I might try to go.
What happened to your free time? Spent in the self-defense class you blogged about?
1) Project Of Doom at work causing me to work late & weekends
2) Side project I might be doing with a friend for extra money – setting up the proposal
3) Self-defense class, yeah, 5 hours a week for the next month
4) Aikido, 2-3 hours a week
5) The webcomic I draw
And also I like to see my friends & maybe even my boyfriend every once in a while & also waste time on LJ. 🙂