the bright river: a mass-transit tour of the afterlife

It has been way too long since i went to an underground performance art event. If you live in the Bay Area, you need to go see the bright river: a mass-transit tour of the afterlife next weekend. It was absolutely stunning.

Imagine Shalom Alecheim and Raymond Chandler got together and decided to rewrite Dante’s Inferno, and you have the basic premise for The Bright River. A dizzying journey through a world spinning helplessly out of control, the show sends audiences on a mass-transit tour of the afterlife. Guided by a fixer named Quick, and moving through an urban landscape that is at once both intensely real and fantastic, the show is a cinema verite look at life and death in America.

Trained as a traditional Jewish storyteller and oral historian, Tim Barsky has been getting increasing attention for his unique style of performance, which blends hip-hop, physical theatre and folklore. Tim is also the world’s first beatbox flutist, an aural prestidigitator capable of producing up to 8 rhythms and melodies at the same time. He is joined by the members of Everyday Theatre, a group of musicians drawn from the underground hip-hop and klezmer communities. Bassist and drummer Shree Shyam, cellist Jess Ivry, and beatboxer/ vocal percussionist Andrew Chaikin bring a diverse set of skills and traditions to bear. And physical theatre maestro Jeff Raz brings a wealth of tradition to the production in his role as directorial consultant.

Fantastic storytelling and the best beatbox artist i’ve seen. Go out and support fantastic local art!

Update: This show has had extreme success and will be re-opening in the Bay Area from December 1, 2004-January 16, 2005. Click here for more information. (Brought to you by too much Google juice.)

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