The Out of Body Adventures of Jo the Bagger:
Jo, a bagger in a super-market, is abducted by Hermes for various exciting, and annoying, astral projections. S = Soprano; M = Mezzo-soprano; A = Alto; cT = Countertenor; T = Tenor; b = Baritone; Bb = Bass-baritone; B = Bass. Genders and voice types may be changed at will. Transposition is also permitted. Almost 30 theater pieces are presented in seven evenings as follows:
Evening I: Fairy Tales
1a. Pinocchio: 60 minute music theater ballet after Carlo Collodi: for soprano and bass-baritone (or three high and three low voices); dancers, narrator, flute and guitar. Commissioned and premiered by The North Shore Civic Ballet and The Putnam Court Players: Mary Saunders, soprano, Kristin Webb, flute, and Russell Southcott, guitar, with the composer, bass-baritone. Choreographed by Florence Whipple, Jimmy Ray as Pinocchio; narrations by Florence Whipple and Kristin Webb. Pinocchio was cablecast on The Boston Neighborhood Netork (BNN-TV) in two separate versions. (See I/IV/5 & IV/V/1).
1b. Gaynocchio: 40 minute parody ballet of the above, in which Gaypetto creates a gay puppet, narrated by a very queer cricket. See IV/V/1 The video of Gynocchio, to the right, uses a shortened version of the original video, with voice overs by the composer: Click on one of the donkies to watch "Gaynocchio"
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2. Peter Crocodile: 30 minutes: S M S or cT T or b Bb N Selections recorded by Andrew Swan, Bb and Angeliki Theoharis, M, with the composer, Bb and piano and heard on The M. I. T. Radio Station (WMRB), Cambridge, MA.
3. Jo in Wonderland: 45 minutes: S S A T b B; actors, narrator and piano or orchestra: Jo enters Lewis Carroll's story. Selections have been performed in concert and heard on WGBH as performed by Ben Sears, b and Brad Conner, pianist. Alternate version: "Alice in Wonderland" was recorded with narrations by William Cavness. Sid Tarlowe as Alice. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M; and Robert Town, T, with the composer (Bb and piano). Selections heard on WHRB Radio. Selections presented on WMRB Radio, with M, Angeliki Theoharis and the composer, piano.
3. Jo in Wonderland: 45 minutes: S S A T b B; actors, narrator and piano or orchestra: Jo enters Lewis Carroll's story. Selections have been performed in concert and heard on WGBH as performed by Ben Sears, b and Brad Conner, pianist. Alternate version: "Alice in Wonderland" was recorded with narrations by William Cavness. Sid Tarlowe as Alice. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M; and Robert Town, T, with the composer (Bb and piano). Selections heard on WHRB Radio. Selections presented on WMRB Radio, with M, Angeliki Theoharis and the composer, piano.
Evening II: Romance and Mystery
1. Sex Mystery: Off-nights at The Sometimes Café:
20 minute cabaret (longer version planned): S T b; 2 dancers, and a narrator/pianist; Selections heard on WMBR Radio with M, Angeliki Theoharis and the composer, piano. The whole confusing mystery of "who likes whom?" in a 20 minute video was shown on BNN-TV with Amelia Broome, S as Sara Spangle; Philip Jenkins, T; Ben Sears, b; the composer, Bb; & Brad Conner, piano; Dana Danzel & James Spellman (choreographer), dancers; TJ Norris, actor & photographer; Chris Gentes & Candy Hologram, cinematographers.
1. Sarah Spangle and Phil open the show at The Sometimes Café
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2. The next door neighbor, mourns the loss of his ex
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3. Sarah tries to seduce Ben, a new stranger at the Café
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4. Phil fears that he might lose Sarah.
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5. Sarah confronts Ben
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6. Phil comforts Sarah and they renew their union
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7. They all celebrate love
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2. The School of The Night: 5 minutes: T b B; 2 actors and piano: tells of the mysterious events surrounding the supposed death of Christopher Marlowe. The first and last number start "Edward II" and were recorded by the composer, Bb with The Acting Singers Project, VII/I/4.
3. Big Eddy: 20 minutes: S T b and T/narrator; and piano. An up-dated version of the story of Edward II. The story of a drug king pin and his hustler boyfriend. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M and the composer, piano. Otherwise unperformed.
4. Reigning Cats and Dogs: 20 minutes: 8 Dogs (singers); 2 Cats (actors) and piano. Queen Lily's ball has been stolen. Detective Luckie is brought in to solve the case. Selections recorded by Nancy King, S; and Catherine Radmer, M, and the composer, piano.
Evening III: Horror
1. The Inquisition: 10 minutes: cT, T, b, B and piano: a trial, from a dream,in response to the censorship of "Phone Sex" (see Evening VI). It chronicles a trial, with charges similar to offenses found in Phone Sex. Some dialogue parodies sections of the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Cablecast as a one man show by the composer. Please listen to the entire audio version, as performed by the composer, below:
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1. The Judge:
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2. The Prosecutor:
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3. The Defendant
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4. The Fairy Defense Attorney:
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5. The Verdict
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2. The Mask of The Witches: 30 minutes: S S b b, B or chorus and piano or orchestra with various narrators. Good witches try to save the villagers from The Inquisition. Various poets. Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, S and the composer, Bb and piano. Otherwise unperformed. See new version: V/III/5 for soprano with piano.
3. The Vampire: 30 minute music theater ballet: dancers and synthesizer, with narrator. A man is wrongly accused of being a vampire. Recorded by the composer, synthesizer. See IV/V/2.
4. Hansel and Gretel: 30 minutes: S S M b B and piano. Selections were recorded by Mary Saunders, S; Brett Johnson, b; and the composer, Bb and piano. Two juvenile delinquents torment a kindly witch. (The recording will be available soon.)
3. The Vampire: 30 minute music theater ballet: dancers and synthesizer, with narrator. A man is wrongly accused of being a vampire. Recorded by the composer, synthesizer. See IV/V/2.
4. Hansel and Gretel: 30 minutes: S S M b B and piano. Selections were recorded by Mary Saunders, S; Brett Johnson, b; and the composer, Bb and piano. Two juvenile delinquents torment a kindly witch. (The recording will be available soon.)
5. The Island Curse: 30 minutes. S A T Bb; 2 narrators (film crew) and piano. A mockumentary of a strange island, where everyone sings, and strangers are forbidden to fall in love with islanders. Otherwise a curse will be activated. Guess what happens when the S and the T meet? Selections recorded by Shinobu Takagi, M, Robert Town, T and the composer, Bb and piano. "Heaven" performed by the composer, pianist; at the opening of the Chirkoff Theater Company of Cambridge, MA; and at Boston Metro Opera by M, Susan Craft Larson; T, Christopher Aaron Smith and pianist, Yelena Beriyeva on 1/27/12. Please click on the button below to hear this performance:
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Evening IV: Religion
1. New Hope Ministry and Home Shopping Network: 45 minutes; play with musical commercials: two televangelists face challenges. Unperformed. Needs editing.
2. The Phone Call: 15 minutes: M cT; dancers and piano. Incomplete and unperformed. A woman (M) comes out to her fundamentalist mother (cT).
Features dancing gay giraffes and rams, leaping lesbian lizards and super
protective bear mothers, and powerful black swan fathers; gender reversing
clown fish and male pregnant starfish, and Pyura chilensisnd, hermaphroditic
live rock that reproduces by selfing (sex with his/her self).
3. Canon Law: 30 minutes: S S A T B; and piano. Poems by Mother Goose. A Catholic Priest faces challenges: abortion, birth control; divorce, women priests, gay marriage, love.... Selections recorded by Andrew Swan, Bb, with the composer, piano. Otherwise unperformed.
Evening V: Trials
1. The Philosophy of Not-Knowing: 30 minutes: A cT; dancers, and piano. A daughter makes a bet with her parents in order to marry the person whom she loves. Unperformed.
2. The Trials of Pooh: 45 minutes: S M T b B; 2 actors and piano. Based on adventures of Winnie The Pooh by A. A. Milnes (Texts under copyright until 2026). Commissioned by North Shore Civic Ballet. Selections recorded by Andrew Swan, Bb with the composer, Bb and piano. Otherwise unperformed.
3. Pot Luck Dinner: 30 minutes: piano: Public domain alternate version: unperformed.
Evening V: Snow White:
1. Phone Sex: 20 minutes: narrator, & mimes, Bb,
synthesizer & piano. Fuzzy, a rather simple gay man (the composer, mime) receives erotic musical phone calls from a mystery caller (Leonard Diggins, mime). The video is narrated by Fuzzy's lover (John Kristensen) Cablecast on BNN-TV & censured (moved from 6 p.m. to 1.30 a.m.) and, as a result, shown at Mobius in a show of censured work. Below please listen to the narrations. read by Mr. Kristensen, with the four original songs as recorded by the composer, Bb, synthesizer and piano. |
1. Urban Serenade:
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2. High Noon:
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3. Endless Twilight:
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4. Goodnight, my mystery love!
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2. Confessions of a Fat Slut: 25 minutes: narrator and 4 other characters. Cablecast on BNN-TB with Brian Mark; Tony Stegal (his two lovers: Harold and Paul) & Jimmie York (Harold's mother; Jennie the land lady) with the composer (Bb and synthesizer). A gay man (narrator, Brian Mark) loves heavy men. This work chronicles two of the men that he dates (Tony Stegal). Shown informally at The Boston Ramrod.
1. Fat Men!
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2. My Best Friend
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3. Gay Dating Game
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4. Expectant Lover
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5. All I Need is You
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6. I Hope that Love Stays
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7. I am That Friend & 8. Fat Men!
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