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Baal

Presented by Paper Chairs at Salvage Vanguard Theater

November 11-November 28, 2010

Avg. Event Rating (3.8 Stars):
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Written by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Peter Tegel from the 1922 edition, directed by Dustin Wills, as performed by the intoxicated patrons of the wooden bar "The Night Cloud."

 

The slightly intoxicated, morally bankrupt patrons of "The Night Cloud." are putting on a play about their idol, Baal. Baal is a mysterious figure said to have roamed the forests, inns and bars leaving nothing but poetry, destruction and a hefty bar tab in his wake. The perfect – though some may disagree – idol for a band of hooligans in a seedy cabaret.

 

Bertolt Brecht’s first play, Baal, drags its audience deep into a body of youthful desires and complete moral abandon. Written in 1918, when Brecht was 20 years old – before the Epic Theatre and the overtly political work for which he is lauded – Baal unfolds in fragments; like a piecemeal of the nearly forgotten events of a drunken evening. It tells the story of our poet-musician and title character, Baal, fleeing the civilized world to live the extreme life somewhere in the forest finding plenty of people and pursuits to indulge his insatiable appetite for experience.

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  • Venue Info

    Salvage Vanguard Theater

    2803 Manor Road
    Austin, TX 78722

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  • Admission Info

    Tickets:

    $15.00 general seating, $20.00 priority seating

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  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    November 11-November 28, 2010

    Times:
    

    8:00 p.m.

  • Accessibility Info

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  • Member Reviews

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    • Event Name: Baal
      "Great sights and sounds, convoluted plot"
      Review posted by: Jay Y. from Austin, TX, Nov 17, 2010
      

      The pre-show of Baal had me intrigued. All of the performers were in character, interacting with the audience. It was like being in a classic Burlesque House, which one assumes was the director's... Expand

      The pre-show of Baal had me intrigued. All of the performers were in character, interacting with the audience. It was like being in a classic Burlesque House, which one assumes was the director's objective. Plus, some of the actors were getting prepared as if they were in a dressing room. The free Gin cocktails that were offered in the lobby nicely added to the atmosphere. Once the actual show started, I unfortunately found the story itself hard to follow, beyond the basic plot. Basically it is about the eponymous, amoral protagonist as he happens upon the equally amoral Burlesque house called "The Night Cloud." The people there idolize him, and he "indulges his appetite for experience." Seeing Baal, in my mind, requires some familiarity with a particular style of theatre, and if you are not familiar with it, it's very easy to get lost. For what it is, however, Paper Chairs does a good job. This will not be everyone's cup of Gin, so be forewarned. Collapse

    • Event Name: Baal
      "Teasing Our Sensibilities"
      Review posted by: Steven Fearing from Austin, Texas, Nov 15, 2010
      

      Director Dustin Wills soaks and intoxicates the audience with Baal, Brecht’s first and most juvenile play, foretelling best elements of epic theatre. We enter Night Cloud Cabaret, masterfully... Expand

      Director Dustin Wills soaks and intoxicates the audience with Baal, Brecht’s first and most juvenile play, foretelling best elements of epic theatre. We enter Night Cloud Cabaret, masterfully designed by Lisa Laratta, and enjoy a chorus of actors who frolic through the fourth wall in prologue, patter in view, costuming (beautifully) and vocalizing with intriguing affect, and delivering scene transitions with playful movement vocabulary. Gab Luna as drunk-poet-musician-narcissist-antihero (Baal) teases our sensibilities brilliantly for an “arduous” 3 hours. Kimberly Adams steals the show musically and is sheer delight in her roles. The plot is fragmented, dramatic arc hard to discern, and yet this play may be a requirement for serious students of theater. The average lay audience may resonate, however, with Ekart (well played by Joey Hood) when he questions Baal: “what is the purpose of this hoax?” Only the 20 year-old theatre student at Munich University (1918) knows for sure. Collapse

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• Member
  Reviews

  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Baal
      "Great sights and sounds, convoluted plot"
      Review posted by: Jay Y. from Austin, TX, Nov 17, 2010
      

      The pre-show of Baal had me intrigued. All of the performers were in character, interacting with the audience. It was like being in a classic Burlesque House, which one assumes was the director's... Expand

      The pre-show of Baal had me intrigued. All of the performers were in character, interacting with the audience. It was like being in a classic Burlesque House, which one assumes was the director's objective. Plus, some of the actors were getting prepared as if they were in a dressing room. The free Gin cocktails that were offered in the lobby nicely added to the atmosphere. Once the actual show started, I unfortunately found the story itself hard to follow, beyond the basic plot. Basically it is about the eponymous, amoral protagonist as he happens upon the equally amoral Burlesque house called "The Night Cloud." The people there idolize him, and he "indulges his appetite for experience." Seeing Baal, in my mind, requires some familiarity with a particular style of theatre, and if you are not familiar with it, it's very easy to get lost. For what it is, however, Paper Chairs does a good job. This will not be everyone's cup of Gin, so be forewarned. Collapse

    • Event Name: Baal
      "Teasing Our Sensibilities"
      Review posted by: Steven Fearing from Austin, Texas, Nov 15, 2010
      

      Director Dustin Wills soaks and intoxicates the audience with Baal, Brecht’s first and most juvenile play, foretelling best elements of epic theatre. We enter Night Cloud Cabaret, masterfully... Expand

      Director Dustin Wills soaks and intoxicates the audience with Baal, Brecht’s first and most juvenile play, foretelling best elements of epic theatre. We enter Night Cloud Cabaret, masterfully designed by Lisa Laratta, and enjoy a chorus of actors who frolic through the fourth wall in prologue, patter in view, costuming (beautifully) and vocalizing with intriguing affect, and delivering scene transitions with playful movement vocabulary. Gab Luna as drunk-poet-musician-narcissist-antihero (Baal) teases our sensibilities brilliantly for an “arduous” 3 hours. Kimberly Adams steals the show musically and is sheer delight in her roles. The plot is fragmented, dramatic arc hard to discern, and yet this play may be a requirement for serious students of theater. The average lay audience may resonate, however, with Ekart (well played by Joey Hood) when he questions Baal: “what is the purpose of this hoax?” Only the 20 year-old theatre student at Munich University (1918) knows for sure. Collapse

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