Theatre
Acadia Performing Arts Series Presents MUSE of FIRE February 12
Wolfville - It has been called “the most compelling theatrical celebration of classical music since Amadeus” and “a remarkable exploration of what it means to be a conductor.” David Katz’s acclaimed one-man play, MUSE of FIRE, will be presented by the Acadia Performing Arts Series at the Festival Theatre on Thursday, February 12 at 8 pm. Tickets ($26/$17 for students) are on sale at the Acadia Box Office 542-5500 or 1-800-542-8425.
The last play directed by Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway director Charles Nelson Reilly, who created The Belle of Amherst for fellow Tony Award-winner, Julie Harris, MUSE of FIRE lifts the veil on the conductor’s secret life to reveal that maestros of the baton are not born—they are forged in fury.
MUSE of FIRE brings the awesome and terrifying brilliance of an extraordinary teacher thrillingly to life in a play that has been called “absorbing,” “frightening,” “shockingly funny,” and “ultimately deeply moving.” Integral to the drama are beautifully recorded musical excerpts by more than a dozen composers, including Wagner, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schoenberg and Ravel.
Since premiering at Acadia Repertory Theater in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2005, MUSE of FIRE has played to critical raves and standing ovations throughout the Northeast and at an extended engagement in Chicago. The play is touring Maine and Atlantic Canada before an off-Broadway engagement and an international tour.
Great conductors are like sorcerers with magic wands, wielding enormous power and perfect control, seemingly at will. Silently, apparently with baton alone, they “play” the one hundred musicians of a symphony orchestra with the same ease others handle a single instrument, while the greatest of them can make the experience of listening so profound, they bring whole audiences to tears. How do great conductors do it? What dark powers become theirs to command?
The answers are to be found in MUSE of FIRE, the story of a modern-day sorcerer and his apprentice. Based on true events, it dramatizes the playwright’s experiences studying with Charles Bruck (1911-1995), the notorious Master Teacher of the Pierre Monteux Conducting School in Maine, who ruled godlike over that world-renowned institution for more than a generation.
Bruck was a maestro from the “old school,” tyrannical, demonic in his fury. He intimidated students, insulted them, screamed at them, even hit them—going to any lengths to forge them in the flames of his passion for the art. Even as his rages became legendary, so too was his acerbic wit, and his uncompromising belief in the power and importance of music. Undeniably one of the 20th century’s greatest teachers of conducting, Charles Bruck was also one of the most feared.
Although there is only one actor onstage, MUSE of FIRE is a two character tour-de-force, so deftly and swiftly is Katz able to shift from teacher to student and back again. From the moment the young novice first experiences the wrath of the man who would become his mentor, until he last visits him on his deathbed years later, MUSE of FIRE forms perfect arcs: from hatred to love, failure to triumph, life to death.
Hailed by critics and audiences alike as “brilliant,” "a searing and unforgettable portrait of a man who forged a generation of conductors,” MUSE of FIRE has been called “so suspenseful, it is like watching a close football game from the sidelines.” If you love great music and have ever wondered how conductors learn to make it live, don’t miss David Katz in MUSE of FIRE.
Acadia Performing Arts Series Presents MUSE of FIRE February 12
Wolfville - It has been called “the most compelling theatrical celebration of classical music since Amadeus” and “a remarkable exploration of what it means to be a conductor.” David Katz’s acclaimed one-man play, MUSE of FIRE, will be presented by the Acadia Performing Arts Series at the Festival Theatre on Thursday, February 12 at 8 pm. Tickets ($26/$17 for students) are on sale at the Acadia Box Office 542-5500 or 1-800-542-8425.
The last play directed by Tony Award-winning actor and Broadway director Charles Nelson Reilly, who created The Belle of Amherst for fellow Tony Award-winner, Julie Harris, MUSE of FIRE lifts the veil on the conductor’s secret life to reveal that maestros of the baton are not born—they are forged in fury.
MUSE of FIRE brings the awesome and terrifying brilliance of an extraordinary teacher thrillingly to life in a play that has been called “absorbing,” “frightening,” “shockingly funny,” and “ultimately deeply moving.” Integral to the drama are beautifully recorded musical excerpts by more than a dozen composers, including Wagner, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schoenberg and Ravel.
Since premiering at Acadia Repertory Theater in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2005, MUSE of FIRE has played to critical raves and standing ovations throughout the Northeast and at an extended engagement in Chicago. The play is touring Maine and Atlantic Canada before an off-Broadway engagement and an international tour.
Great conductors are like sorcerers with magic wands, wielding enormous power and perfect control, seemingly at will. Silently, apparently with baton alone, they “play” the one hundred musicians of a symphony orchestra with the same ease others handle a single instrument, while the greatest of them can make the experience of listening so profound, they bring whole audiences to tears. How do great conductors do it? What dark powers become theirs to command?
The answers are to be found in MUSE of FIRE, the story of a modern-day sorcerer and his apprentice. Based on true events, it dramatizes the playwright’s experiences studying with Charles Bruck (1911-1995), the notorious Master Teacher of the Pierre Monteux Conducting School in Maine, who ruled godlike over that world-renowned institution for more than a generation.
Bruck was a maestro from the “old school,” tyrannical, demonic in his fury. He intimidated students, insulted them, screamed at them, even hit them—going to any lengths to forge them in the flames of his passion for the art. Even as his rages became legendary, so too was his acerbic wit, and his uncompromising belief in the power and importance of music. Undeniably one of the 20th century’s greatest teachers of conducting, Charles Bruck was also one of the most feared.
Although there is only one actor onstage, MUSE of FIRE is a two character tour-de-force, so deftly and swiftly is Katz able to shift from teacher to student and back again. From the moment the young novice first experiences the wrath of the man who would become his mentor, until he last visits him on his deathbed years later, MUSE of FIRE forms perfect arcs: from hatred to love, failure to triumph, life to death.
Hailed by critics and audiences alike as “brilliant,” "a searing and unforgettable portrait of a man who forged a generation of conductors,” MUSE of FIRE has been called “so suspenseful, it is like watching a close football game from the sidelines.” If you love great music and have ever wondered how conductors learn to make it live, don’t miss David Katz in MUSE of FIRE.
Pricing & Tickets
Pricing: $26($17 stds) Acadia Box Office 542-5500 or 1-800-542-TICK
Festival Theatre
Acadia University
504 Main Street
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
nicholas.sharpe@acadiau.ca
View Full Venue Info
504 Main Street
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
nicholas.sharpe@acadiau.ca
View Full Venue Info
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