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The
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
By
Emi Higashiyama Translated by Iva Huang
For
those who enjoy live music, Kaohsiung is the
place to be this June. Live entertainment in
the form of 1970s progressive rock music is
something of a rarity in Taiwan, but this summer
sees "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway"--an
intriguing production that will debut in the
south, and later be performed in Taichung and
Taipei.
Artist and Genre
Individuals
who grew up listening to 1970s tunes are sure to
be familiar with the British band Genesis. Before
the Phil Collins era, Genesis produced some of music
history's most recognizable progressive rock, including
a landmark piece released in 1974 called "The
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway."
That
album raised the bar for what is known as rock opera--a
genre that was launched by The Pretty Things' "S.F.
Sorrow" (1968), and which prominently features
The Who's "Tommy" (1969).
Synopsis
A
symbolic tale incorporating many aspects of numerology,
Kabalism, Buddhism, and Judeo-Christian concepts, "The
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" is an epic tale
of a young man's discovery of the meaning of life.
The protagonist is a half-Puerto Rican teenager named
Rael, who lives on the streets of New York City.
Trying
to make a name for himself, he becomes a graffiti
artist. Early one morning, after a night spent autographing
a subway wall, Rael, dodging the authorities, notices
two very curious objects: a lamb lying down on Broadway
Street, and a colossal, black, solidified cloud which
devours everything in its path. Even stranger is
the oblivious reaction shown by the people on the
streets.
As
Rael flees, his initially successful escape becomes
dishearteningly futile. A harsh wind attacks him,
slowing him down until the wall catches up to him.
Once consumed, he enters a dream-like state in which
his past and present experiences are revisited in
fragmented episodes. Throughout these "memories," Rael's
brother, John, appears. John, it seems, has either
been consumed by the "wall of death," or
is perpetually just one step ahead of Rael.
Having
no option but to navigate his own course, Rael encounters
a factory of lifeless bodies being prepared for "packaging," a
mazelike chamber of 32 doors (in which he is appealed
to and tricked by a devious woman), a pool of virtue-sucking
snake-women, a congregation of jaded men, and a suspiciously
malevolent doctor.
Throughout
all these scenarios, Rael finds himself in a quandary
after quandary. If he hasn't died already (which
is one of the common interpretations of the role
of the black wall), his life is threatened by inescapable
and painful death on several occasions. As his brother
John slips in and out of the picture, Rael consistently
pleads for help--and John consistently turns away.
As the story reaches its pivotal point, Rael finds
himself having to choose between a portal which beckons
him to return to his previous life of normalcy and
following the distressed calls of his drowning brother,
who rejected him on every previous incident.
Presentation
All
24 songs on the original Genesis album will be performed
live. Lead vocalist/guitarist Terrance Engel, keyboards
player Dave Wilke, and percussionist/bassist Shaw
Cunningham will sing and play as the story unfolds
in a video and slide presentation. The trio has researched
and rehearsed the album for over a year. The production
has been organized by Brad Loghrin, of Kaohsiung's
Riveting Theater. The show is expected to last 90
to 120 minutes.
Dates and Venues
All
Kaohsiung performances of "The Lamb Lies Down
on Broadway" will be held at ATT Music Pub (within
walking distance of the railway station, at B1, 83,
JianGuo 3rd Road). For details, call (07) 286-1570
or (07) 285-9645.
Performance
dates are as follows: June 19 (Sat) 10 pm; June 20
(Sun) 4 pm; June 25 (Fri) 10 pm; June 26 (Sat) 10
pm; June 27 (Sun) 4 pm. Shows are also planned for
July 2-4. Tickets are NT$200 each. |