It’s a timeless tale: Two rivalrous brothers vie for the love of a single woman. But “Remember Me,” the ambitious new collaboration between Parsons Dance Company and the East Village Opera Company (EVOC), is anything but old-fashioned.
Combining contemporary dance with live and recorded music as well as video projections, aerial choreography and special effects, “Remember Me” is at once rock opera and opera that really rocks.
Photo by Lois Greenfield
Tyley Ross (right) of the East Village Opera Company dances with Julie Blume of Parsons Dance Company. The two troupes team to present “Remember Me” at Edison Theatre Nov. 14 and 15.
At 8 p.m. Nov. 14 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 15, these two internationally renowned troupes will return to Edison Theatre to present “Remember Me” as part of the 2009-10 OVATIONS Series.
The origins of “Remember Me” date back to 2007, when choreographer David Parsons, founder and artistic director of Parsons Dance, first met the members of EVOC, the Grammy-nominated ensemble known for its fearlessly modern arrangements of opera’s “greatest hits.”
“We realized that a great deal of artistic synchronicity existed between our companies,” Parsons said, “and we began to discuss the possibility of creating a work together.”
Parsons teamed up with Tyley Ross, lead male vocalist and cofounder of EVOC, and AnnMarie Milazzo, lead female vocalist. The three crafted a storyline that incorporated many of EVOC’s signature pieces — including electrified versions of works by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Schubert — with Parsons’ inventive choreography knitting the whole together.
“David Parsons’ choreography marries tradition and renewal in a way that physically represents what we try to evoke as a band,” Ross said. “It’s exciting to see our music take a three-dimensional kinesthetic shape in his hands.”
“Remember Me” opens with the overture from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” though the show’s contemporary sensibility is tipped by a riff drawn from The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” (a subtle reference to Ross, who was handpicked by Pete Townshend to sing the title role in the Canadian premiere of The Who’s “Tommy”).
Ross and Milazzo then serve as both vocalists and narrators to the unfolding story, with numbers ranging from the Spanish-flavored “Habenera” from George Bizet’s Carmen to a power ballad version of “When I Am Laid In Earth” from Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas.”
Leading the troupe of 11 dancers is Abby Silva, who plays Maria, the main love interest, along with Miguel Quinones and Zac Hammer as her suitors, the brothers Marcus and Luca.
Highlights include Maria’s tortured solo, performed in tandem with Milazzo’s gritty rendition of “Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana,” from Alfredo Catalani’s “La Wally”; Maria’s heart-lifting duet with Luca, danced to the “Flower Duet” from Leo Delibes’ “Lakme”; and her darker outing with the jealous Marcus, danced to “Ave Maria” from Schubert’s “Sacred.”
“Awesome dancing and a backbeat to knock it all home,” praised The Village Voice, writing of the show’s New York premiere last January. “Eye-popping digital effects. Excellent showbiz-savvy performers. Perpetually smoldering. Lusty, sensual movement. Parsons enters the realm of pop spectacle with a vengeance!”
“Remember Me” is directed by Parsons with musical arrangements by Peter Kiesewalter, cofounder of EVOC.
Costumes are by “Project Runway” finalist Austin Scarlett. Lighting and sound design are by Howell Binkley, a founding member of Parsons Dance, and Will Reid. Production design is by Jason Thompson.
Raised in Kansas City, Parsons was a lead dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company before forming his own company, which today maintains a repertory of more than 70 of his works.
Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured an average of 32 weeks per year to a total of more than 250 cities, 35 countries, six continents and millions of audience members. Many more have seen the troupe on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network and the Discovery Channel. Parsons’ many honors include the 2000 Dance Magazine Award and the 2001 American Choreography Award.
Ross and Kiesewalter, both natives of Canada, formed EVOC in New York City’s East Village in 2004 as a one-off project but, after a series of genre-defying shows at Joe’s Pub, the group was quickly signed to Decca/Universal records.
Their debut album, “East Village Opera Company,” was released to critical acclaim the following year, while their PBS special, “EVOC LIVE,” won a 2006 Emmy Award. Their most recent recording, “Olde School,” was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award in the Classical Crossover Album category.
Tickets for “Remember Me” — $20 for students and children; $28 for faculty, staff and seniors; and $32 for the public — are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets.
For more information, call 935-6543 or e-mail edison@wustl.edu.