A rock opera by Tom Waits, Robert Wilson
and William S Burroughs
Tarragon Theatre, Toronto
November 1, 2008
“Step right up…have your tickets ready”,
shouts a bald-headed megaphone.
“Harry’s Harbour Bizarre is proud to present
under the big top tonight…
a three-headed baby, Hitler’s brain, Jo Jo the dog-faced boy
and Johnny Eck, the man born without a body.”
The casting of the 2008 “fable of the free-shooter” guarantees…
“a gay old time!”
Father Bertram, the Royal Huntsman (Ashley Wright)
will allow Kathchen (Rachael Johnston) to marry
Wilhelm (Kevin Corey) only if he keeps with family tradition,
and proves himself a worthy hunter.
Wilhelm, a clumsy city clerk has no rifle skills,
but a forest encounter with a convincing Peg Leg
(Michael Scholar, Jr)
has Wilhelm using all the
“magic bullets guaranteed to hit their mark”.
And learning of a wedding day test with a wooden dove in a tree,
Wilhelm stands at the crossroads to make a left-handed deal
with a devilish limp...
“six are yours and hit the mark, but one is mine and hits the dark”.
Clever, witty, and laugh-out-loud funny,
this dark comedy was created by Robert Wilson,
“a towering figure in the world of experimental theatre”,
William S. Burroughs, “the Godfather of the Beat Generation”,
and the avant-garde musical and poetic imagery of
the one and only, Tom Waits.
Choreographer Marie Nychka must also be acknowledged for
“T’ain’t no sin to take off your skin
and dance around in your bones”.
Rachael Johnston, with strangely twisted arms
in white gloves to the elbow,
plays a porcelain doll face with a wicked cackle,
gliding across the stage
as she brilliantly displays the best dramatic stage death
I’ve ever seen.
Together with the large white and ever-present hunting rifle,
the Black Rider is a feast to the musical eyes
with all its ghoulish characters.
As hands are comically played by piano feet
from under the Angel of Foof,
and a limping leg is ever watchful
through a red curtain window...
“I’ll be the flowers after you’re dead”,
sings the bridegroom.
Shooting the moon right out of the sky…
“I want to build a nest in your hair
I want to kiss you and never be there”.
Michael Scholar Jr is a stand-out performer as Peg Leg
and the large white hunting rifles must be credited as well.
But it was the black-clad 3-piece at stage left
who charmed me the most.
The Devil’s Rubato Band more than complimented
the 6-piece ensemble.
Trombonist (Corinne Kessel) shifted gracefully
between blowing slide to blowing
a long wooden whistle for a train,
as a drum is pounded between legs of
tinkering teases on Bryce Kulak’s piano.
And clever sound effects are plucked beside her from
a booming bass (Duane Elias).
Being a fan of track ten on
the 1993 Tom Waits audio recording of The Black Rider,
I was disappointed when the mid-show scene
of the Russian Dance didn’t come close
to the showstopper I’d imagined.
Thinking, oh well…
“That's the way the gravy stains.
That's the way the moon wanes”.
Saturday matinee sunshine began to spill
through exit doors opening,
as the entire cast joined hands to take their bows.
But as the stage cleared, the band continued to play.
Just like the band aboard the sinking Titanic,
the Devil’s Rubato Band continued to play.
With little attention paid to the folks
squeezing by me from sold-out rows,
I sat back in smiling satisfaction.
“You can’t go wrong
with a 30 ought 6…
you can hang a happy ending on it”.
See behind-the-scenes footage of The Black Rider stage play
in this 30-min documentary featuring Burroughs and Wilson,
and Tom Waits, who gives a brief synopsis off the top
and steps out on stage to deliver the finale...
http://www.tarragontheatre
http://www.tomwaits.com/
http://www.robertwilson.co
