Covent Garden. Actors‘ Church.
Played to date in: Actors‘ Church 2009.
Opera „L’Enfant..“ by: Maurice Ravel
Dance Theatre „Saci“ by: Miguel Kertsman
Libretto „L’Enfant..“ by: Colette
Libretto „Saci“ by: Killian Heilsberg
Musical Director: Ben Palmer
Director: Alexander Medem
Set & Costume Concept by: Thaddäus Stockert Set & Costumes by: Sarah Boots Movement Director: Shona Morris
Producer: Iris Theatre
With: Sara Lazzaro, Naomi Reynolds, Daniel Mutlow, Nabil Stuart, Hesther Campbell…the Syred Consort…
Trailer by: Johannes Conrad (Camera), Alexander Medem and Thaddäus Stockert (Editing)
REVIEWS
It is a relief to say that I enjoyed this version, performed by silent actor/dancers and sung by offstage voices… Director Alexander Medem certainly gets over the problem of singing teacups. Medem and movement director Shona Morris present objects and animals in human form – an arm angled like a spout to suggest a teapot, for instance. A cat and a scurrying squirrel are easily identified by their movement – an enjoyable evening and colourful costumes, almost non-stop movement (no static arias in this show!) combine with the sincerity of the performers to hold the attention of the youngsters in the audience. (Howard Loxton, The British Theatre Guide, 2009) Full review see here: https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/enfant-rev
The second half of the evening will be filled by a half-hour piece of musical theatre (a play with actors backed by music, rather like Peter and the Wolf) written and composed by Brazilian-American composer Miguel Kertsman. The storyline brings together a Welsh water-sprite and a well known Brazilian fairytale character “Saci” an ex-slave descendant from Brazil: a one-legged, black prankster with a magical red cap and a glowing pipe who likes to juggle embers! Who knows what will happen when these two get together…Alexander Medem, director of the Children’s Opera project commissioned the piece by Kertsman scored with the same instruments as were being used for the Ravel, to create a companion piece which could join the classical repertoire for the future. (Bachtrack, August 2009).
