UPCOMING!
Prelude Festival 2008, selections of Beowulf, at the Martin E. Segal Theater Center, CUNY University Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York NY , September 27th @ 5:30pm!
Abron Arts Center , Harry de Jur Playhouse , New York NY, April 1st - April 19, 2009!
PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS
Ashby Stage, Berkley CA
Produced by The Shotgun Players, May 14 - June 15, 2008 EXTENDED through JUNE 22nd
Abron Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement, (development reading), New York NY, February, 2008
VIDEO!
The Battle
Hrothgar
Grendel & Mother
REVIEWS!
Created by Banana Bag & Bodice
Directed by Rod Hipskind
Script by Jason Craig
Music by Dave Malloy
Dramaturgy by Mallory Catlett
Lighting Design by Miranda Hardy
Stage Manager Jahana Azodi
Original Cast
Jason Craig, Cameron Galloway, Anna Ishida, Jessica Jelliffe, Christopher Kuckenbaker, Dave Malloy, Shaye Troha
The Musicians
Jennifer Baker, Chris Broderick, Dan Bruno, Andre Nigoghossian, Simon Hanes, Andy Strain
Banana Bag & Bodice has finally been commissioned to write an opera. Finally.
The wonderful folks over at The Shotgun Players in Berkeley have 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 is such 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 will breathe 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 will destroy, dissect, and rebuild 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!
Reviews are in!
"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 |
