Surrealist Theatrical Hybrid The Blue Flower at Loeb Drama Center
American Repertory Theatre - Loeb Drama Center (64 Brattle St. Cambridge, MA 02138)
- Full Price:
- $55.00 - $70.00
- Our Price:
- $27.50 - $35.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for The Blue Flower have expired.
The last date listed for The Blue Flower was Sunday January 2, 2011 / 7:30pm.
Most Popular Theater Event Nearby:
Crime and Punishment: Chloe Moss' Award-Winning This Wide Night
- Full Price:
- $25.00 - $29.00
- Our Price:
- $12.50 - $14.50
This two-person drama concerns reunited criminals as they try to find a straight path in the world. After her release from prison, Lorraine heads straight to the only other person who she has felt close to in years: her former cellmate Marie. While locked up, the two shared everything, but on the outside, their friendship threatens to destroy their fragile freedom. Playwright Chloe Moss won the Susan Smith Blackburn Playwriting Prize in 2009 for This Wide Night. Seattle Public Theater's production is directed by Sheila Daniels and stars Emily Chisholm (The 13th of Paris, Tryst) and Christina Mastin as the ex-convicts. Learn More
4 Goldstar Member Reviews
jakempx
We have seen numerous musicals and this work is one of the most original and profound. Music and orchestra were amazing with incredible singers, actors and performers in every role. It is rare that we enjoy so much a range of musical numbers that we had not heard before this play. Although each act is long by comparison to other musicals, we were totally absorbed in the story and characters throughout the play. So much so that we were exhausted from the experience. The subject matters cover more than 50 years of creative revolutions and a range of world events, so this is not an event for a short attention span. There are flashbacks and narration. but it helps to read the program before the play commences or during the intermission to minimize any confusion. The videography is integrated beautifully with the stage sets, lighting and performances to effectively convey the "feel" of the various historical periods. For those who do not know, there are no bad seats at this theater and the size of the venue was perfect to enhance the sense that the audience are by standers in the action.Written on Jan 03 2011
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Goldstar Member
Very good musical/multi-media performance. Act 2 dragged somewhat, especially with a cacophonous mid-act song, and the thread of the plot lost out to the service of the music. I think this show is headed for great things if it is tightened up and, perhaps, more dialogue is added.Written on Jan 03 2011
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Les
A highly original, totally entertaining theater experience. Interesting story taken from a not universally known period of European history (1890s to to WWI and beyond). Superb acting, singing, music.Written on Jan 03 2011
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Goldstar Member
We had high expectations for The Blue Flower and we were both extremely disappointed. Although the actors have wonderful singing voices and every movement on the stage was done with such precision and meaning, we did not find ourselves connecting with the actors. The show is way too long (70 minutes for each act) and the songs are sung at such a slow drawn out tempo that it became boring. The use of background films was a highlight however this often became a distraction from the actors that were performing. We both felt like the show could have ended at the end of Act 1. The band on the stage was outstanding and perhaps was the best part of the production.Written on Jan 03 2011
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More Information About The Blue Flower
Website
http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/events/show/blue-flower
Quotes & Highlights
- "Abundant in imagery and imagination...an extravagant production." --Variety
- The Blue Flower is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. It’s a serious, philosophical, meditative work that incorporates a huge variety of art to further its impact. The storytelling is organic, moving seamlessly from past to present, from song to scene." --The Weekly Dig
- Watch YouTube audience tesimonials to The Blue Flower
Description
The Blue Flower rides the twisted rails of history and the tangled love interests of three artists and a scientist, from Paris during the Belle Epoque, through the battlefields of the Great War and beyond. The title of the piece is a reference to the symbol used by German romantic poets of the 18th and 19th centuries to signify the ongoing search for artistic perfection. Over time, it evolved into an emblem of hope and was adopted by other artists as a symbol for the simultaneous end and the beginning of all things, for reinvention and reincarnation.
Set in Germany at the end of World War I and the beginning of the Weimar Republic, The Blue Flower is inspired by the lives of historical figures Max Beckmann, Franz Marc, Hannah Höch, and Marie Curie. Influenced by the art movements — particularly Dada and Surrealism — and the political tenor of the day, Max, Hannah, Maria, and Franz try to make sense of the world in which they struggle to create, relate, and survive.
Their story is told through a narrative song cycle performed by seven singer/actors that blends the jagged contours of 1920's Berlin cabaret music with the lyricism of American country and western, accompanied by an 8-piece band onstage (bassoon, pedal steel guitar, cello, accordion, piano, guitar/ drums/percussion). Projections and silent film reels punctuate the narrative, moving the story forward and enveloping the audience in an environment that invokes the Dada cathedral of Weimar Germany, the Cabaret Voltaire.
The cast includes Daniel Jenkins as Max, Meghan McGeary as Hannah, Tom Nelis as Fairytale Man, Bryce Ryness as Franz, Teal Wicks as Maria, Connor Christiansen and Paul Shafer as Dada men. Set design is by Marsha Ginsberg, Costume Design by Carol Bailey, Lighting Design by Justin Townsend, and Sound Design by Clive Goodwin. Produced by special arrangement with Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Levine, and Steve Tate.
About the Ticket Supplier: American Repertory Theater
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) seeks to expand the boundaries of theatre, exploring the best texts from across cultures and ages. A resident company of professional artists, teachers, technicians, and administrators, the A.R.T. provides a home for outstanding directors, a training ground for young artists, and a vital cultural resource for the community.