When it premiered in 1990, Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs’ cult musical fable The Black Rider under the direction of Robert Wilson instantly declared itself as one of the most distinct and important pieces of contemporary avant garde theatre.
Finding its roots in German folktale Der Freischütz, the story follows a desperate file clerk entering a Faustian pact to prove his worth. The Devil’s bargain, of course, is always a fool’s bargain. An allegory of addiction mirroring the tragic events of Burroughs’ own life, the self-styled “musical fable” is a rich platter of allegory, allusion and compulsive action, set to the original music of the inimitable Waits.
A co-production between Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre, Black Rider stars an enviable line-up of Australia’s most cherished ‘enfants terribles’—Paul Capsis, Meow Meow and Kanen Breen. Matthew Lutton takes the helm as director with musical direction from Victorian Opera’s Head of Music Phoebe Briggs.
Presented in association with Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre
Waits honours the emotional lives of his humble characters... his heart bleeds for characters who cry out their needs and dreams in songs that sound like reassembled fragments of tunes learned as a child.
- Director
- Matthew Lutton
- Original Direction
- Robert Wilson
- Music and Lyrics
- Tom Waits
- Text
- William S. Burroughs
- Original Musical Arrangements
- Greg Cohen and Tom Waits
- Dramaturgy
- Wolfgang Wiens ©2005 St. Rose Music Publishing Co., Inc. Used by Permission.
- Cast
- Kanen Breen
- Paul Capsis
- Jacqueline Dark
- Winston Hillyer
- Le Gateau Chocolat
- Meow Meow
- Richard Piper
- Dimity Shepherd
- Musical Direction
- Phoebe Briggs
- Music Supervision
- Iain Grandage
- Set & Costume Design
- Zoe Atkinson
- Lighting Design
- Paul Jackson
- Sound Design
- Jim Atkins
- Soundscape Design
- Jethro Woodward
- Choreographer
- Stephanie Lake
- Stage Manager
- Lisa Osborn
ORIGINAL DIRECTION / Robert Wilson
MUSIC & LYRICS / Tom Waits
TEXT / William S. Burroughs
ORIGINAL MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS / Greg Cohen and Tom Waits
DRAMATURGY / Wolfgang Wiens
©2005 St. Rose Music Publishing Co., Inc. Used by Permission.
Victorian Opera acknowledge the support of the Australia Council for the Arts and Creative Victoria.
PHOTO | Zan Wimberley and Magnus Hastings
