Portal to Houston's Art Community
The Houston Press Reviews "In the Middle of the Ocean"
If the Greek bards ever come back to earth to tell their tales of gods and mortals, they'd be just as likely to appear as punk rockers as anyone else. This one-man song cycle, written by musician Chris Alonzo and presented by Melusine Theatre Company, is a far cry from the advertised "rock opera" (best left for The Who's Tommy), but it's not quite a musical either — there's not much staging going on.
Basically it's a concert performance, subtly directed by Brandon Dinklage, who doubles as clever set designer. Devin Andrew Collins sings and narrates this neo-goth transposition of the classic story of Orpheus and Eurydice with appropriate sleaze and erotic tension, akin to Cabaret's Master of Ceremonies (and he plays a mean lick on guitar and piano when called upon). Why his character is called Twitchy the Clown is anyone's guess, but he wears a battered fedora, tennis shoes and white clown face, as if this explains it.
In this saltwater version, ancient Eurydice is now called Camilla, and she's the one to go to underwater hell to rescue the "hung like a Christmas stocking" pirate lover she's never actually seen. It all ends badly, like most Greek myths, but the music, seemingly influenced by Kurt Weill, is always interesting if not too varied, and the lyrics are even better.
The backup band is very good indeed — Teofilo Bijarro (bass), Taylor Tobias (drums) and Andrew Fortson (guitar) get into the salty spirit of the piece and amp up the noise when necessary. Through September 6. DiverseWorks, 1117 E. Freeway, 1-800-838-3006. — DLG
Basically it's a concert performance, subtly directed by Brandon Dinklage, who doubles as clever set designer. Devin Andrew Collins sings and narrates this neo-goth transposition of the classic story of Orpheus and Eurydice with appropriate sleaze and erotic tension, akin to Cabaret's Master of Ceremonies (and he plays a mean lick on guitar and piano when called upon). Why his character is called Twitchy the Clown is anyone's guess, but he wears a battered fedora, tennis shoes and white clown face, as if this explains it.
In this saltwater version, ancient Eurydice is now called Camilla, and she's the one to go to underwater hell to rescue the "hung like a Christmas stocking" pirate lover she's never actually seen. It all ends badly, like most Greek myths, but the music, seemingly influenced by Kurt Weill, is always interesting if not too varied, and the lyrics are even better.
The backup band is very good indeed — Teofilo Bijarro (bass), Taylor Tobias (drums) and Andrew Fortson (guitar) get into the salty spirit of the piece and amp up the noise when necessary. Through September 6. DiverseWorks, 1117 E. Freeway, 1-800-838-3006. — DLG
Tags: alonzo, chris, company, houston, melusine, middle, ocean, press, theatre
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