chamber opera with soundtrack Laura Schendingerlyrics by Gingerthis weekend in Houston.
from match:
Paris at the turn of the century was a hotbed of artistic innovation, and the cabaret was the birthplace of this innovation. It was here that poets, musicians, painters, and bohemians of all kinds rubbed shoulders, setting the stage for the Expressionist, Abstractionist and Modernist movements that continue to shape our culture today. It was here that an American-born dancer, choreographer and lighting designer dazzled audiences, inspired artists from Toulouse-Lautrec to Yeats, and redefined modern dance, but then It has been largely forgotten for decades. This spring, Musiqa and Stages proudly present a belated focus for avant-garde artist Loie Fuller with the world premiere of acclaimed composer Laura Schwendinger’s new chamber opera.
The Shadow Cabaret begins after Loie’s death, when she is forever in the mind of her lover and long-term partner Gab Sorere. As a theatre producer, Gab dreams of a night of cabaret where women who have never actually been on stage appear in her heart of cabaret. Her imaginary audience was her beloved Loie, an early proponent of free improv dance whose innovations in choreography, lighting and costumes inspired a group of imitators. Together, the women watched and commented on some of the anti-gender and genre-bending performances by women, whose work was often excluded from the standard history of cabaret. Gab’s ongoing dialogue with Loie is full of love and longing, and also evokes Loie’s excellent work, though it speaks to the grief of losing love.
music clip here.
