Wow, so many of your leads are such strong performers!!! Pricilla was a late act surprise killing the belts in her number, Anabella was an absolute treat, Amelia had lovely high range, Edgar had such great stage presence, and the NARRATOR!!! ❤❤❤ The narrator's absolute control and presence and energy really made this whole production! Having them as a very active participant was such a great decision, ever second of their performance on stage was a treat.
Serious props to the cast here - the Narrator especially! Sound quality is a touch wonky here and there and sometimes the music overpowers the voices (most notable during some of Byron and Solder 7285's parts), but overall an absolutely magnificent performance!
I love what you did to the dynamic of the first act. The Narrator is handing Anabel all the parts, and Jasper only wakes up when then Narrator touches him. This makes is feel like Jasper is a gift from the Narrator, instead of something she invented. Later when Jasper doesn't turn out to be what she wanted him to be, we see the Narrator being sad that Anabel doesn't appreciate the gift. It integrates the narrator character more into the scene. I like this, because later in the continued Paul Shapera universe, Narrators influencing the story becomes very important. In the second act we see the same thing happen, when it is the Narrator who guides Edgar to the trunk in the attic. And about Edgar, what a powerhouse of a voice he has! He also sounds a lot like the original voice, which is great. Also, his face matches the character pretty well, I was genuinely afraid of him. (no offence to your face good sire) In the third act, I think this show may have the best visualisation of the voodoo dance parties, out of all the versions I've seen. in the end of the act, I again love the way the Narrator is part of the scene. this is here world she created, and she hates seeing it go to shit. Also, some praise for how you visualised the ballad of the gambler and the monk. On one hand you have the Narrator (the god) and the people of the town (chance). This comes right after the scene where the Narrator was trying to stop the city to collapse, so this draws a perfect parallel between the struggle of the Narrator vs the City, and the Monk vs the Gambler. I don't know if Paul Shapera intended this parallel to be there, but if so, I only now got it. I think the ending of part 4 is a bit strange. 7285 dies in this telling of the story, as does the Narrator. I guess it does make for more of a full closure to the story, you can't expect all the audience members to go online and listen to the other opera's. Over all I think this is a great adaptation of the original work. And I'm an authority on that, because I've listened to it like a million times! On a critical note, the actor for Jasper had some trouble hiding his German accent, but I guess if there's one character who gets away with that, it's the one that gets his voice from recording the radio. I can tell there's someone behind this who really likes Paul Shapera's works, and I felt that wile watching. Congrats to you all!
Thanks man! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I am see what you mean about the sequels tho... everyone was supposed to be dolls bar the narrator. I guess it's not as obvious as intended. Also the entire cast are Scottish. 😅
It's a decent idea, decent writing, however, the production's not there. Choreo's messy, acting is okay at best, and the vocals are near painful at times. It could be better with a little more budget
Well the pacing of the music and the mood doesn't really leave much room for aplause mid-play! I'm sure they clapped their arms off at the end though, haha
This was awesome! I'm really happy I watched it and I'm recommending it to my friends. My only objection is to the costume and presentation of Byron. From the audio of the opera, I had understood Byron as the arrogant leader of an anarcho-voodooist revolutionary movement. Instead, your Byron looks more like a random political agitator dressed like a peasant to infiltrate the voodoo dance club. In my interpretation, as the heir to the McAllister family line and Edgar's doll business, I had expected Byron to be more like Edgar. But this might be just a difference of interpretation. Well done!
I never really liked or got the purpose of the song Voodoopunk, but this performance absolutely ROCKED it, with how it just feels like a fraternizing and everyday mingling. It does feel like a new age of teens, rebelling over the old ways, such as death.
This is such an awesome production and my favorite version. (SPOILER ALERT) I loved how Your Annabelle played Annabelle so forcefully, as she could be played as much weaker of a person. I really felt how she Grasped at Heaven's throat with real motivation, and as desperate as she was, I always felt like she was a fighter in a way. I always see her played as, whinier, for lack of a better word, and I love how your version felt like she really worked for what she wanted. Your Jasper I love so much, I can tell you guys have worked a lot with movement. He stays still, and I love how you went for a more robotic movement opposed to a Rag doll kind. I also love how he's almost always onstage, how he really does see everything first hand, and how he, despite not being able to move much, always feels like a part of every scene he's in. Your Edgar, wow, went from a scared baby to a Scary man as quickly as he needed to. I loved how he slowly became more sinister, as his Act went on. Also, is it just me or did he purposefully go really British in the board scene? It felt very motivated and true to the Character, and I felt that choice really showed how Edgar had grown to be more and more possessive as he gains status. He really had a command of the stage as well, which I loved. Fay I frequently see as rather forgotten in the narrative, and like with Annabelle I see her turn into a very weak person, but I love how your Fay shows her strength. I really loved how you had her wander around as Edgar Built His Business, facing away from him & the crowd, and I love how you had her really Attack Edgar with her song, instead of mournfully lamenting to herself. (Something I also liked in Annabelle's Lament.) Your Byron as well, I feel did wonderfully. I really love how his "My Angel" part was brought into a lower range than the original. I feel he also really put a lot of emotion into his lines/verses, especially in his verses that echoed his father's, and I loved that differences between how Edgar & Byron presented their parts. Your Amelia I loved so much, I feel you really caught how separated she was from the rest of the Voodoopunks, and I don't know if you meant to, but I think her being the only Voodoopunk with a Jacket kinda showed how she specifically wasn't as open as the others and how she was a bit more hurt. I also loved her silent crying during The Movement 2, it felt very motivated, and how she stayed on the outskirts of the crowd. Your Priscilla really blew me away in every song she sang. I love how she kept acting childlike, with her turning away from Jasper constantly as if she was throwing a tantrum, and how she genuinely came to conclusions as she contemplated. How she, though very hurt, made sure to almost stand up for herself, by both fighting both her realisations & the soldier, she felt a lot like Eponine in Les Mis. Soldier 7285, played his contrast between his original obedience, and his defiance very well. His epiphany came slowly and surely as it should, and I legitimately felt his shock and confusion. The physical pacing in I Will Bring You Down really helped as well, his last three. Though I kind of wish he hadn't died... I understand your version had Absolutely everything fall apart, and as a stand alone show it works, but I real felt him staying alive was important to the plot, and his surviving was the one thing that kept New Albion, alive. The last glimmer of hope. And I Loved The Narrator. So much. I loved how despite being a bit of an omniscient Character, they really had a lot of emotion. I keep seeing the Narrator played totally MIA, And as an unfeeling Character. But your Narrator cares so much about the events and the story, I can't put into words how much I appreciate this actor's portrayal. The Narrator's regret for the outcome and frustration with the Characters felt so genuine, and I really felt your version of the Narrator was very Paternal/Maternal. Helping guide the Characters but frustrated with them as they lead to their own demises. The Narrator's playing along also was wonderful and I loved how they were involved in almost every scene as they watched the world they created fall apart. There was real grief there, and I appreciated it so much. I'm also a bit confused as to why the Narrator died because they were supposed to be an omniscient force outside of the events of the play. :/ I really wish I could have been on your side of the Atlantic when you guys performed, it was wonderful. Also The Riot scene I felt was Wonderfully choreographed.
I love you too. X😘 I have to say the one thing that will be changed if we ever re-perform the production: make it more obvious the characters are ALL dolls. The only human on stage was the Narrator and the soldier that shot her dead at the curtain for harbouring a collection of illegal dolls.
@Little Cacti Quirk I’m so glad you enjoyed my portrayal of Edgar. You are correct in the Acting choices I made during the board scene. He’s just managed to get to where he is with his business, the highest he can go. I felt that he’d act like a professional in front of everyone but then the change in tone in the second half of that scene shows his spoilt nature has remained with him and that the success has driven his immaturity to the brink of madness.
Hold on a second, something's wrong.... Fay's father was Jasper... Annabelle knew Jasper from school and he died way young... but he had a daughter? Man those condoms were cheap, huh?
You guys are absolutely amazing. It was an honour to see you live and I am SO GLAD this is on youtube now, cause that means I can force all my friends to see it too >:D Best DONA adaption on youtube, hands down, brilliant singing brilliant acting and B R I L L I A N T staging, I love everything about it & hope you all know you're awesome.
I applaud you on the performance. One of the more dynamic takes I've seen of this opera, and I thank you for that. Many others have expressed what I enjoyed of the performance already, but I would like to add my observations to the end scene. It could actually work in the greater narrative of the New Albion works if Soldier 7285 had already laced Parliament with the truth serum on the day of his court martial. If that were true, his song of "Bring You Down" would be all the more forceful as he was already doing so. And I could totally see that the city would have some kind of killing implant in their soldiers that they might use similar to how you showed it. All in all an excellent take on a great opera.
I only just found your interpretation of this amazing opera and bravo! It was extremely well done and I thought it added to the story and made it easier to follow. Love it!
My one problem is that the beginning of the riot scene isn’t chaotic at all. I don’t like how they’re just standing there. However this is the best version i have seen. All the others are so stiff
Did you happen to get a video of this year's production? I thoroughly enjoyed it! Your Edgar would make a great Nathan/Repo man from The Genetic Opera.
