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| BY RICHARD WAGNER | ADAPTED BY DAVE DALTON |
Summary
Let's get ready to rumble!!
PL115 adapts Wagner's iconic Ring Cycle into the action packed world of 1980's Americana. Part 1 follows Wagner's Norse gods pumped up on rock and roll and steroids as professional wrestlers on a mission for power and glory. Part 2 takes us into the world of down-and-out America in the 80s, those at the bottom of the trickle down theory.
The production strips the opera of its music and traditional setting, re- contextualizing Wagner's masterpiece to highlight the libretto's story of pride, passion and the insatiable quest for power. Juxtaposing the single minded action of Wagner's mythic gods with the cultural and philosophical hubris of America in the 1980's — a decade marked by a "greed is good" mentality — the production draws parallels between Wagner's mythology, American mythology and the events of our own tumultuous time.
But mostly, it's just plain awesome:
See below for tickets and more information.
Press
** Best of Art and Performance: Best Regular-Motion Sports Sequence
“This cheeky adaptation, by Dave Dalton, Jeremy Beck and the company, addresses Wagner's agenda with remarkable sensitivity and insight.”
Steve Smith, The New York Times | Read more »
“A very satisfying mix of pop culture and high art ... It's golden fun - from an ensemble that goes all the way to the mat.”
Tom Sellar, The Village Voice | Read more »
“Dipping from two pools of unlikely source material, The Ring Cycle (Part 1 and 2) gets it right, and like a deep fried snickers bar, it is unexpectedly delicious.”
Julia Furlan, Culturebot | Read more »
“An ambitious, potentially sacrilegious and extremely rewarding adventure in creative adaptation.”
Benjamin Sutton, The L Magazine | Read more »
“Parts 1 and 2 are so brilliantly conceived I'm anxious to see what they'll do with Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods.”
Lynn Berg, nytheatre.com | Read more »
* Listen to NYC classical radio station WQXR's feature on PL115's Ring Cycle.
* Check out a feature on The Ring Cycle in The New York Post.
People
- Conceived and Directed by: Dave Dalton
- Adapted from the Wagner by: Dave Dalton, Jeremy Beck & PL115
- With:
- Jereny Beck*
- Sara Buffamanti*
- Jeff Clarke
- Christopher Hirsh*
- Rachel Jablin
- Marty Keiser*
- Rebecca Lingafelter*
- Mike Melkovic*
- Chris Richards
- Production Manager: Elizabeth Nielsen
- Costumes: Stacey Berman
- Fights: Casey Robinson
- Special thanks to our collaborators who helped develop The Ring: Andreea Mincic, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Sarah Riffle & Dragana Vucetic
*appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity / Equity Approved Showcase.
Developed in part at the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
Made possible through funding from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Mental Insight Foundation.
Performances
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April 12 - 29, 2012
at Incubator Arts Project
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October 14 - 30, 2010
at The Bushwick Starr
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July 7 - 11, 2010
part of undergroundzero 2010 at PS122
Photos
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All photos Copyright Sue Kessler.
To download a full-resolution JPEG that's fit for press usage, click on a thumbnail to enlarge it, then click on "view on flickr" above the image.
On the flickr page, click on "Actions->View All Sizes" above the photo, then choose to download the original size (usually 3892 x 2586px).