First Look: La Parure / The Necklace

Wow, we've been so busy performing, rehearsing, and recording that I've been remiss in blogging. Let me remedy that with a few images from this week's recording of Guy de Maupassant's timeless story "The Necklace." A first for Chatterbox: We recorded the show in both English and French. Look for both versions to hit the site in the coming months.

 

First Look: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Caligari opens tonight! To whet your appetite, here are some photos from the performance by the multi-talented Nan Hackman.

Inside The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Original artwork by Andrew Chandler

We've been working so hard on our upcoming live soundtrack of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari that I've been remiss in posting about it. The show will be performed at The McCoy Theatre at Rhodes College in Memphis on March 22, 23, and 24. Ticket and other information is available on our Facebook page.

Caligari is a seminal, iconic film, and if you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to do so. Fortunately certain versions of it are in the public domain, so even if you can't attend the performance, you can stream the entire film online. (After our performance is recorded, we plan to post it to the Chatterbox website synced up with the film. So you'll be able to enjoy our interpretation no matter where in the world you are.)

"Pick you up at 7:30?"

The bizarre, compelling look of the film complements its bizarre, compelling story. The mad Doctor Caligari arrives in a small town with his mysterious cabinet, in which lives the sleepwalker Cesare. Cesare awakens only long enough to tell fortunes as part of Caligari's act at the fair. At night, however, Cesare remains under Caligari's command, and the two commit a series of shocking crimes that bring our hero Francis to the edge of sanity.

Caligari has a strong reputation among cinema buffs and has inspired several generations of filmmakers. (Look at any still of Cesare, for example, and you'll recognize Tim Burton's inspiration for Edward Scissorhands.) Yet it remains relatively little-seen.

Several live soundtracks have been created for the film, but as far as I know they're all purely instrumental. Audio theater icon Yuri Rasovsky adapted the story to audio back in 1998, but while the production is worth hearing, it's independent from the film and its approach is substantially different. In short, then, I don't know of anyone who has attempted a full-length, full-cast soundtrack like the one Chatterbox is producing.

So don't miss it! I'll be proud if our show introduces people to this amazing film -- not to mention the intricate, high-energy performance we're developing to accompany it. Come on out, and bring your friends. We'd love to see you there.

This Week in Listening: The Intergalactic Nemesis

Over the weekend, my girlfriend and I traveled to Longview, Texas to enjoy a visit with her family and to catch a performance of The Intergalactic Nemesis. The show, which is touring internationally (though not yet intergalactically), has generated an impressive amount of attention in recent weeks, appearing on both Conan and NPR. Some friends saw it a few years ago and recommended it highly. When we heard that it was touring, we decided it was something we couldn't miss.

The Intergalactic Nemesis is a "live-action graphic novel" that combines voice acting, sound effects, music, and artwork. The production began in Austin, Texas as a live radio play, then expanded to include more than 1,200 illustrations penciled by Tim Doyle. As the illustrations cycle by on a large screen, three voice actors, a pianist, and one intrepid sound effects artist work together to create a fully soundscaped multimedia experience.

The story is set in 1933 and follows tough-as-nails reporter Molly Sloan and her sidekick Timmy Mendez as they investigate a mesmerizer named Mysterion the Magnificent. Their meddling brings them into contact with assassins, a heroic librarian, and a race of gooey, many-eyed aliens called Zygons. It's a two-fisted adventure serial welded to a sci-fi yarn, with plenty of action, humor, and weird creatures along the way.

Creator and producer Jason Neulander has wisely kept the show family-friendly; the performance we attended drew a large number of kids (and not all boys, either). The script and the performances are certainly tongue in cheek, but thankfully the show goes beyond self-aware camp. The Nemesis team has crafted an original and enormously entertaining theatrical experience. It's complex and fully realized, and, as all live radio shows should be, it's great fun to watch.

As a regular creator of audio productions, attending the show was especially fun for me. One of the first things that struck me was how familiar their sound effects kit looked. There was the wind machine, the crash box, the door unit, the various noisemakers and kids' toys, and many of the other mainstays of Chatterbox productions. Nemesis makes creative use of these tools, of course, and there were several effects I will happily steal for our own purposes. But in general, it was nice to see this group successfully touring the globe with the same basic materials and approach that we use.

More than that, though, it was a thrill to be part of an audience that was clearly having so much fun with the production. The three voice actors were terrifically versatile, handling the fast pace and numerous characters with great skill. (Often, one actor would play both roles in a two-character scene, and the interactions were never less than clear.) The show's sound effects artist and musician  got just as much of a workout, each helping maintain a quick pace while adding the layers of sound that really brought the story to life. The energy coming off the stage was infectious, and when the lights came up for intermission, the (large) audience already seemed eager for more.

Anything that helps bring live radio back to the mainstream already has my support. But The Intergalactic Nemesis has the added perk of being slam-bang entertainment and a great time at the theater. If the show comes anywhere near your area, don't miss it. Part One is touring now, and I believe Part Two will follow suit after its debut this summer.

This Week in Listening: The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack

Followers of our Facebook page already know that I'm a fan of The Wireless Theatre Company. Headquartered in London, Wireless produces shows across a wide spectrum of genres, all with consistently high quality. In its philosophy and approach, Wireless is as similar to Chatterbox as any other group working today.

Their most recent release is the third installment of a series called The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack. Written by Gareth Parker and Robert Valentine, Springheel'd Jack is a Gothic adventure mystery with a heavy dose of supernaturalism thrown in. Unfolding in lean 30-minute segments, the show features excellent writing, performances, sound design, and music.

Set at the dawn of the Victorian era, The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack follows Constable Jonah Smith as he and his partner, Constable Toby Hooks, investigate a series of attacks carried out by what witnesses call a monster. The description of the creature is alarmingly similar to an apparition Smith recalls from his childhood. What's the connection? How do the attacks relate to a mysterious young woman and a wealthy lord? And who are those two odd-couple thugs who keep trying to kill our heroes?

The listener will probably guess at the solution to the mystery before Smith does, but the story is a great ride nonetheless. The increasing wildness of the proceedings are grounded by Christopher Finney's lead performance as Constable Smith. Mr. Finney leads an excellent cast in creating realistic, relatable characters. When the thrills come, then, they're even more thrilling, because we honestly care about what happens to these people.

The third episode of Springheel'd Jack ends with the promise of more, and if more materialize, I'll happily take them. But the three shows that have been released stand together as a single, satisying tale.

Wireless shows are free to download and just require a simple registration. Check out The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack, and take some time to dig into the group's back catalog. If you like what we do, you'll like what they do.