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Theater | Music

Shakespeare's Sonnets

 
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US Premiere
 
Oct 7—Oct 12, 2014
 
 
LOCATION:
 
RUN TIME: 2hrs 45min (with intermission)
LANGUAGE: In German with English titles
FULL PRICE TICKETS START AT  $25
 
 
 
In German with English titles 
 
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October 2014
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Tuesday October 07, 2014
Performances no longer available.
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Berliner Ensemble
By Robert Wilson and Rufus Wainwright
Sonnet selection by Jutta Ferbers

"the audience reacted to almost every single sonnet with rapturous applause”
—Der Spiegel

Iambic pentameter gets a surreal makeover in this pop-opera romp through Shakespeare’s sonnets from director Robert Wilson and composer Rufus Wainwright. The Bard’s enigmatic poems are pared down to 25 selections, set to everything from medieval German Minnesang to cabaret rock and performed by Bertolt Brecht’s historic Berliner Ensemble. As pallid, genderqueer[1] dramatis personæ, the virtuosic performers smirk and sneer through expressionistic slapstick, while Wilson’s signature sculpting of time, light[2], and gesture evokes an absurdist dream.

Directing, stage design, lighting concept by Robert Wilson
Music by Rufus Wainwright
Costume design by Jacques Reynaud
Conducted by Hans-Jörn Brandenburg, Stefan Rager
Co-direction by Ann-Christin Rommen
Lighting by Andreas Fuchs and Ulrich Eh

Leadership support provided by:

The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust

Aashish & Dinyar Devitre

 
 
 
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VIDEO
Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune
 
 
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Slideshow
 
Shakespeare's Sonnets
 
 
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Video
Robert Wilson and Rufus Wainwright
 
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Iconic director Robert Wilson and celebrated vocalist and composer Rufus Wainwright discuss their collaboration on Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Watch the entire talk on the video channel.
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Theater
Shakespeare's sonnets
 
Shakespeare's sonnets
 

Read the 25 sonnets featured in Robert Wilson and Rufus Wainwright’s production.

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Shakespeare's Sonnets
BAM blog
Galas & Events
Member Mingle: Shakespeare's Sonnets
Thu, Oct 9, 2014
 
Member Mingle: Shakespeare's Sonnets
Thu, Oct 9, 2014
MEMBERS ONLY
 

Meet fellow Friends of BAM over a glass of wine before Robert Wilson and Rufus Wainwright’s Shakespeare’s Sonnets.

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Free
Iconic BAM Artists
Robert Wilson
 
Robert Wilson
 

Robert Wilson achieved worldwide acclaim, along with Philip Glass, for their monumental large-scale opera Einstein on the Beach, which altered conventional notions of a moribund form.

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Artists
Rufus Wainwright
 
Rufus Wainwright
 

Rufus Wainwright is one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation, having carved out his own singular sound in the worlds of rock, opera, theater, dance, and film.

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About this Venue: BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
 
BAM's main performance venue is the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, a breathtaking Beaux Arts space.