Tiger Lillies Sail the Ancient Mariner into Brooklyn
This was Magic ~ like sitting for a couple hours looking into some ephemiral diorama with moving parts, producing multiple realities. The layers were alive with everything from the live musicians behind the first gauzy screen (The Tiger Lillies - one of my very favorite musical ensembles), to the projected images on background screens - human sailors, mermaids, Neptune, and the albatross (which was created in such a way as to appear a massive puppet flying above the everchanging landscapes below), oceans, ice floes, storms, and more.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is an epic poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor
Coleridge. These songs retell the dark story (with some extra typically nastily-naughty Tiger Lillies gems like "Cabin Boys"), and take us along on the desperate and mysterious sea journey.
The dazzling, hypnotic set design was by photographer Mark Holthusen, who also directed THIS video of "Living Hell" with The Tiger Lillies.
Click HERE for an excellent sample of this production via an online clip, as well as a brief tidbit I took myself of the raucous encore last night: HERE.
These photos hardly hint at the magic. Plus I was in a state of Awe at the spectacle most of the time, unable to think of taking more/better photographs. Click on them to enlarge.
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The opening act was Cynthia Hopkins. This will also go down as one of the best opening acts I have ever been lucky enough to be introduced to. A multi-instrumentalist who writes gorgeous songs, with smart lyrics, sings them in a voice rich with so many different textures and colors, and all wrapped up in some great stage charisma. Brava!!
Video of her excellent song, "This Clement World"
And you can hear & download many of the songs she is sharing HERE.
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