You can still catch performances of La Divina Caricatura, a bunraku puppet pop opera by Lee Breuer, at experimental theatre club La MaMa in New York. World premiere performances will run through December 22.
Part 1, "The Shaggy Dog," tells the unlikely story of a dog named Rose and her mad love affair with her master John. The opera follows Rose the dog as she makes a Dantean pilgrimage for love and, hopefully, Paradiso.
La Divina Caricatura has been described as "Dante for puppets and cartoons." Breuer's trilogy of fictions with animals in the starring roles has its own Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. The mixed-media pop-opera completes Breuer's Animations series and draws on material that stretches all the way back to Breuer's doo-wop opera Sister Suzie Cinema, first conceived as a poem in 1975.
Lincoln Schleifer's music and arrangements cover a stunning array of styles, from 1950s doo-wop and 1960s soul to Argentinian tango, raga, reggae, rap, Gregorian chant and French folk tunes. La Divina Caricatura features musical and theatrical performances by Bernardine Mitchell, John Margolis, The Poppers, The Wild Women and more.
Bunraku is the traditional puppet theater of Japan. This style of puppetry does not try to hide those who work the puppets; they are visible on stage together with the puppet. Breuer first saw Bunraku in Japan in 1968, and has been fascinated by this style of puppetry ever since. In fact, one of Breuer's stated life goals is to bring puppetry into serious American theater.
According to the Brooklyn Rail, "The staging of La Divina Caricatura closely reflects the traditional performance of Bunraku puppetry. However, Divina is directed as an animated, epic movie, based on the narrative structure of Monzaemon's Bunraku plays, which in turn closely mirror the structure of feature films."
Breuer's long career in the theater has included such highlights as The Gospel at Colonus, Breuer's retelling of Sopholces' Oediups at Colonus with a gospel choir replacing the traditional Greek chorus.
The world premiere of La Divina Caricatura is presented by La MaMa ETC and St. Ann's Warehouse. More information about La Divina Caricatura is available at lamama.org.
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