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Beowulf NYC, 2009

Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage
2008 World Premiere with The Shotgun Players, Berkeley, CA
Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director
Elizabeth Lisle, Managing Director

Artwork by R Black

Photos courtesy of Jessica Palopoli

TOURING INFO click here

WE ARE GOING TO EUROPE!

Kilkenny Arts Festival
August 5,6,7, 2011

Edinburgh Fringe Festival
@ Assembly, August 10 - 29, 2011

“…joyfully raucous and silly…brings out the power and the color of the legend…”
-The New Yorker

"Hilarious...clever...has the makings of a cult fave."
-Variety

This SongPlay adaptation of the Old English epic poem Beowulf harkens back to the raw and rowdy storytelling of the Scandinavian mead halls. The show features a 7-piece band including dueling trombones, bass clarinet, accordion and saw, combining Weillian cabaret, 40's jazz harmony, indie rock, punk, electronica and Romantic Lieder into a cacophonous swirl.

Beowulf's most recent successes came last summer when the show toured to the SummerStage Festival and Joe’s Pub in New York City, ART’s Club Oberon in Boston, and the Lion d’Or Theater as part of Les Escales Improbables in Montreal, Quebec.

"The resulting adaptation skewers, celebrates, and deconstructs “Beowulf’’ in an effort to reclaim it from years of academic analysis and return it to its roots as a visceral, pulse-pounding tale."
-The Boston Globe

"...a blend of bawdy, bloody, ironic, lusty and honest. "
-The Hour, Montreal

Created by Banana Bag & Bodice
Written by Jason Craig
Music by Dave Malloy
Co-Directed by Rod Hipskind & Mallory Catlett

Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage received its World Premiere with The Shotgun Players, Berkeley, CA in May, 2008
Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director / Elizabeth Lisle, Managing Director

Best of 2009, The New Yorker
“...a thrashing, bashing rendition of the 'Beowulf' story…with music that demands to be described at demented...” - New York Times

BEOWULF CREW

Jen Baker Trombone
Rick Burkhardt Guitar
Mallory Catlett Co-Director
Jason Craig Beowulf
Ezra Gale Bass
Rod Hipskind Academic 2/ Co-Director
Anna Ishida Warrior/Chorus
Jessica Jelliffe Academic1
Mario Maggio Bass Clarinet/Clarinet
Dave Malloy Composer/Piano/Accordion
Kristen Sieh Academic 3
Andy Strain Trombone
Shaye Troha Warrior/Chorus
Peter Wise Percussion

AWARDS
**Best of 2009, The New Yorker**
**Winner of the 2008 Glickman Award**
**East Bay Express Best of 2008 (#1!)
Best of the East Bay 2008: Best Theatrical Production,
Best Theatrical Production Reader's Choice**
**SF Chronicle Best of 2008**
**SF Bay Guardian Best of 2008**
**SF Examiner Best of 2008**
**Mercury News Best of 2008**

REVIEWS

“…joyfully raucous and silly…brings out the power and the color of the legend…” 
-The New Yorker

“…always a good stomping rock number and a stylized ass-kicking coming soon...Seeing this cracked Beowulf may not earn students extra credit, but it's an irresistible excuse to cut class."
-David Cote, Time Out New York

“...a thrashing, bashing rendition of the 'Beowulf' story…”“…who would have thought that a production as full of noise as this one could end on a note approaching poignancy? It's the last surprise in a play full of them."
-Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

"...a brilliant musical score composed by Dave Malloy…wonderfully cacophonous arrangements for blaring trombones, booming percussion, wild guitar, and wailing horns…”
-Lisa Jo Sagolla, Back Stage

MORE PRESS

"An offbeat musical extravaganza...a successful fusion of rock and non-narrative theater. …anthemic, bruising score is jubilantly performed by a sprawling onstage orchestra of brass, strings, piano, accordion, guitar, drums and saw…”
-John Del Signore, Gothamist

The Beowulf script was published in the June/July issue of
Theater Bay Area Magazine

Read the interview by Associate Editor Robert Hurwitt entitled
"Beowulf on Beowulf"

WNYC Mention
Listen to Claudio La Rocco interviewed by Brian Zumhagen on WNYC where she talks about how Beowulf is better than Broadway.

Read Claudia LaRocco's Performance Club blog entry: Easter Slaughter

Read Robert Avila's SFBG article on the January Roda show

And there's a big article in January's Theater Forum.
And we'll put it online for you soon. It's neat!

"hilarious...clever...has the makings of a cult fave."
- Dennis Harvey, Variety

"That was fucking awesome...Beowulf succeeds magnificently."
- Sam Hurwitt, East Bay Express

"...the group's gut-gripping new rock opera (or "SongPlay") rages with an anarchic energy reminiscent of the most ardent anthems by Queen or Siouxsie and the Banshees."
- Chloe Veltman, SF Weekly

"exhilaratingly eclectic and comic Banana-Shotgun Players world premiere, a two-hour creative deconstruction and celebration ... with a terrific, eclectic score"
- Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle

"the most wildly anticipated theatrical collaboration of the season"
- SF Bay Guardian.

"Part funky rock opera, part tart Brechtian parable, the thoroughly visceral ... rambunctious epic is soaked in mead and blood, steeped in critical exegesis."
- Karen D'Souza, San Jose Mercury News

"unlike so many new musicals, it features music you actively want to listen to ... the brisk pace and the constantly changing palate (played out on a set designed by Banana Bag & Bodice and lit by Miranda Hardy) make those two hours as full as they could be."
- Chad Jones, www.theaterdogs.net

"Equal parts opera and musical, Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage is quirky mixed bag."
- Arielle Little, The Daily Californian

"Shotgun Players and Banana Bag and Bodice ensemble have ... turned the bloody, dreaded hunk of text into a rock opera."
- sfist.com

"Some claim that Grendel was descended from Cain and all 3,183 lines are Christian in origin and pagan only in context; others have said that's hogwash, twaddle, clap, and trap, and the poem was clearly passed down through recitation using oral-formulaic composition. In any case, there's a lot of wiggle room, which will be wiggled in by Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage, a song-play written by the singular Jason Craig of Banana Bag & Bodice."
- Silke Tudor, SF music weekly.com

"Five of us came and we all really enjoyed it a lot! One of my friends said it was the best play she's seen in several years. The thing that struck me most about it was how young and fresh it felt. Most of the theater I have seen hasn't seemed so in tune with what is going on culturally, artistically (and in this case, musically)....It had a lot of momentum and energy... It was great to have a specifically fun night at the theater." - Audience Member, 5/14"I am not typically a fan of music theatre but these voices were perfect for the parts! I see a lot of theatre in the Bay Area and am not easily impressed. Shotgun is ALWAYS more than a fun night out....tonight was a performance triumph!"
- yelp.com reviewer KJ P.

"This production visualizes the whole expanse of messy life hidden inside the clear-cut lines; the novel is brought back into the poem."
- tribe.net reviewer Si

"It’s a refreshingly grotesque and poignant comedic retelling of Beowulf."
- culturebot.org comment by George

"the aesthetic sensibilities of New York's underground darlings, Banana Bag and Bodice ... to the East Bay's rebel yell, Shotgun Players"
- penny.zingzang.net

"brilliantly funny, muscular, and plain irresistible"
-Avila, SF Bay Guardian

The KALX Interview 5.22.08

The KPFA Interview 6.14.08

PRODUCTION HISTORY

2011
ONE SHOW ONLY at Joe's Pub
New York City, January 10th

Emerging America Festival
at American Repertory Theater
Cambridge, Mass, May 13 - 15, 2011

2010
Beowulf Tours the Northeast, Summer 2010
City Parks Foundation SUMMERSTAGE,
August 25, 26, 27
Joe's Pub, Aug 28, Sept 2, Sept 4
Club Oberon @ ART, Boston, Sept 5 & 6
Les Escales Improbables du Montreal, Sept 9

Beowulf Takes on the LES, Winter 2010
The Living Room Jan 9
Piano's Jan 10
Arlene's Grocery Jan 12
The Slipper Room Jan 14

2009
Abrons Arts Center
New York City NY, March 31st - April 18th, 2009

Under The Radar Festival
New York City NY, January 17th, 2009

The Famous Chez Poulet Gallery-Cabaret
San Francisco CA, January 9, 2009
All money raised went straight to the artists.

Beowulf Benefit at Berkeley Reperatory Theater
Berkeley CA, January 8, 2009

2008
Prelude Festival 2008 Martin E. Segal Theater Center
CUNY University Graduate Center
New York NY, September 27th, 2008.

Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage received its World Premiere with The Shotgun Players, Berkeley, CA in May, 2008
Patrick Dooley, Artistic Director / Elizabeth Lisle, Managing Director

Abrons Arts Center, development reading
New York NY, February, 2008

CREATED & DESIGNED COLLABORATIVELY
BY THE ENTIRE ENSEMBLE

BEOWULF 2010 TOUR CREW
Beowulf features Banana Bag & Bodice Artistic Directors Jason Craig & Jessica Jelliffe, company member /Co-Director Rod Hipskind playing Grendel, and company member Mallory Catlett (Oh What War, Red Fly Blue Bottle) as Co-Director. They are joined by local performer Kristen Sieh (Architecting, Particularly in the Heartland), and SF bay area darlings Anna Ishida & Shaye Troha. The Band, led by composer Dave Malloy on Piano/Accordion, includes Mario Maggio on Bass Clarinet/Clarinet, Jen Baker & Sam Kulik on Trombones, Rick Burkhardt on Guitar, Ezra Gale on Bass, Peter Wise on Percussion and Pinky Weitzman on Viola in NYC.

BEOWULF takes on the LES cast/crew.
New York City, NY
Jason Craig, Jessica Jelliffe, Rod Hipskind, Mallory Catlett, Gelsey Bell, Birgit Huppuch, Anna Ishida, Dave Malloy, Brian Thompson, Mario Maggio, Jen Baker, Andy Strain, Rick Burkhardt, Ezra Gale and Peter Wise.

BEOWULF NYC '09 @ the Abrons Arts Center,
New York City, NY
Shotgun Artistic Director Patrick Dooley
Shotgun Managing Director Liz Lisle
Banana Bag & Bodice Co-Artistic Directors
Jason Craig & Jessica JelliffeWritten by Jason Craig
Music by Dave Malloy
Directed by Rod Hipskind
Set Design by Banana Bag & Bodice
Lighting Design by Miranda Hardy
Sound Design by Brendan West
Original Costume Design by Kaibrina Buck
Additional Costumes by SF Buffoons, Eric & Riddle
Props by Sig Hafstrom
Choreography by Anna Ishida & Shaye Troha
Dramaturgy by Mallory Catlett
Stage Manager Catherine Coffey
Assistant Stage Manager Paloma Wake
Sound Engineer Micah Sapp
Assistant Light Designer Yi Zhao
Master Electrician Michael Broughton
Jen Baker (Trombone, Chorus)
Dan Bruno (Percussion, Chorus)
Jason Craig (Beowulf)
Ezra Gale (Bass, Chorus)
Benjamin Geller (Viola, Chorus)
Anna Ishida (Warrior 2)
Jessica Jelliffe (Academic 2/Mother)
Christopher Kuckenbaker (Academic 1/Grendel)
Mario Maggio (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Harmonicas, Chorus)
Dave Malloy (Hrothgar, Piano, Accordion, Programming)
Andre Nigoghossian (Guitar, Saw, Chorus)
Andy Strain (Trombone, Chorus)
Shaye Troha (Warrior 1)
Beth Wilmurt (Academic 3/Dragon)

Prelude'08/Under the Radar '09 Additional Cast:
Jeremy Beck (Academic 1/Grendel)
Sarah Engelke (Warrior 1, Piano)
Annie Scott (Warrior 2)

BEOWULF - A Thousand Years of Baggage '08
@ The Ashby Stage, Berkeley, CA
Original Cast
Jason Craig, Cameron Galloway, Anna Ishida, Jessica Jelliffe, Christopher Kuckenbaker, Dave Malloy, Shaye Troha, Stage Manager: Jahana Azodi, Assistant Stage Manager: Tunuviel Quezada
Original Musicians
Jennifer Baker, Chris Broderick, Dan Bruno, Andre Nigoghossian, Simon Hanes, Andy Strain

MORE THINGS TO READ ABOUT BEOWULF

2010 Summer Tour description:
After a successful smash-hit run in April, 2009 at the Abrons Arts Center in New York City, and multiple gigs at Lower East Side music venues, Banana Bag & Bodice brings their award-winning epic SongPlay on tour.

Digging into the roots of the original epic poem, this club version of Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage hearkens back to the raw and rowdy style of storytelling in the old Scandinavian mead halls – with a passion for fierce poetry and a pint of thick beer.

Monsters and professors collide in blood-soaked Scandinavia as this hefty poem is rescued from 1,000 years of analysis and transformed into a defiantly raucous dissertation on art and violence. With an 8-piece band including dueling trombones, bass clarinet, accordion and saw, Beowulf combines Weillian cabaret, 40's jazz harmony, indie rock, punk, electronica and Romantic lieder into a cacophonous swirl. The award winning Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage is written by Jason Craig with music by 2009 Larson Award Winner Dave Malloy, and co-directed by Rod Hipskind and Mallory Catlett.

Original description:
Flawed heroes, sympathetic monsters and haughty professors collide as this hefty poem is rescued from the grasp of 1,000 years of highbrow analysis and transformed into a defiantly raucous musical. Presented by San Francisco’s infamous Shotgun Players and created by New York's infectious Banana Bag & Bodice, this new SongPlay is an irreverent dissertation on art versus criticism in blood soaked Scandinavia.

Aurthor's note:
Banana Bag & Bodice was finally commissioned to write an opera. Finally.
The wonderful folks over at The Shotgun Players in Berkeley asked us to collaborate with them in adapting and staging our version of the classic poem Beowulf.
Written in approximately the 9th century, this 3000 line poem is a classic tale of violence and vengeance. It has heroes and villains, horses and swords, blood and booze…perfect.The prospect of inspecting a classic poem such as Beowulf and adapting its powerful narrative so that it becomes part homage, part parody, but hopefully something entirely unique has been a wonderful challenge for us. Music has always played a vital role in our theatre. Its weight has equaled the text and staging in our productions and so therefore it seems natural that our version of Beowulf breathes an almost operatic voice, allowing the original epic poem and our new language a platform in which to unite.Using our specific brand of poetic irreverence, the text and music destroys, dissects, and rebuilds this epic classic with whimsy and yet with homage. Centered around a lecture given by three academics, Beowulf – a thousand years of baggage explores the notion of “art” surviving the brutal act of criticism and how over-analyzing has the potential of de-scenting a flower, or removing the potency of “art”.
At the same time, this operatic comedy mirrors our country’s contemporary position in the global community, as Beowulf the warrior responds to violence with violence, entering the battlefield with vengeful sword swinging without any attempt at reasoning.And the music is amazing,
And the cast is stellar,
And the text is so pure and fine…Fun, Right!
FUN!