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Twoey2E
Reviews
The Black Rider (1990)
A brilliant and compelling piece of theatre.
The Black Rider, a German folktale adapted for the stage by avant-garde theatre director Robert Wilson, eccentric musician Tom Waits, and gritty author William S. Burroughs, is perfectly captured in this performance by its original cast the Thalia Theatre Company of Hamburg, Germany. A young clerk, Wilhelm, loves Katchen, but her father Bertram will only allow her to marry a skilled huntsman. Wilhelm seeks the help of Pegleg (the Devil), who sells Wilhelm magic bullets for a deadly price. This dark, expressionistic musical is a visual feast of the highest artistic theatrical merit--the players move about the stage effortlessly as living poetry. The songs recall the style of Kurt Weill, as realized by the inimitable Tom Waits. While the music is sung in English, as is some of the dialogue, the majority of the play is recited in German. Burroughs's powerful text allows the story to unfold with tragic beauty. This presentation will astound intellectual theatre artists, but may be too much for the average musical-lover. Think Faust, Kander and Ebb's Cabaret, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari all rolled into one amazing masterpiece performed as a twisted ballet. Exceptional and unforgettable.
Lee Evans: Wired and Wonderful - Live at Wembley (2002)
"Monkey Boy" makes good
For all you may recognize Lee Evans from films such as Mouse Hunt and There's Something About Mary, it's truly a shame that this man is little known outside of Europe (for now at least). Then again, maybe the American entertainment industry isn't ready to appreciate this treasured talent. Lee Evans--without a doubt the most energetic physical comedian I've ever seen in my life--is a whirling dervish, a man capable of performing at a frenetic pace that would cripple most human beings. I found myself exhausted just laughing at him. This show was filmed live at Wembley Stadium, and Evans is the first comedian ever to perform solo at the arena. With only a fifteen-minute intermission, he explodes two hours of fresh new material to an eager audience of thousands. His stand-up is phenomenal and visually captivating, almost too fast to keep up with. This rubber-faced comedian is outrageous in his manner and crude in his speech, but hardly irritating. (Think a young, more animated Robin Williams without the drugs or annoying roller-coaster rants.) This show also includes a fantastically funny interpretation of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." If you enjoy Lee Evans' work, you might also check out Funny Bones co-starring Oliver Platt.