The Ancient Greeks perfected the first staged theatrical performances whose playwrights sounded out the depths of the human soul so profoundly that academia of the 21st Century are still pondering over their meanings. Sophocles and Euripides would be quite astounded at the innovations in the theater since 450 BCE. Especially with the recent opening of CAGES now in previews at the Woolf and the Wonderland Theater in DTLA.
INNOVATIVE THEATER HERE IN DOWNTOWN LA:
Much like the audience who first witnessed Antigone and Oedipus Rex at the Theater of Dionysus, CAGES is a first of its kind musical that needs to be experience to be believed. Like the ancient storytellers the creators of CAGES combine mythology with current social issues to highlight the dilemmas which life gives rise to yet, also provides inspiration on how to decipher and solve the mystery of living.
THE INSPIRATION THAT LED TO CAGES
CJ Baran and Benjamin Romans told DTLA Weekly about CAGES and their collaborative vision: âWe wanted to offer something new for people who do not typically attend musicals, think of Phantom of the Opera hijacked by Coachellaâ they said with a laugh.
âWe made a musical inspired by the music we listen to, not limiting ourselves to traditional arrangement, vocal style, choreography, or the restraints of physical set design. We wanted to dress it as peculiar as the fashion we love and apply the magic of movies to the live stage.â
DTLA asked them, âHow did you come up with the name CAGES for a show like this?â Ben and CJ chimed in together to answer.
Saying one sentence after another in perfect order as if they had rehearsed a response in duo. âWeâve been writing a lot of songsâ, said Ben. âAnd we wrote one about the human heart being surrounded by the rib cageâ said CJ.
âAnd we realized that everybodyâs heart is actually in a cage of sortsâ chimed in Ben. âIs there a song called Cages in this show?â DTLA asked them, âWe didnât hear it.â
They both broke up in laughter answering in near perfect unison, âNo, it isnât. Weâve written practically hundreds of songs but that one didnât make it to the show!â
Like any great songwriting team these two exceptionally talented young men seemed to be thinking, speaking, writing, and playing music in perfect synchronization.
All music and lyrics for the show are written, produced, and arranged by the creators, who you can find on stage performing live on show nights.
THE NEW MYTHOLOGY IN THE MAKING
Using groundbreaking illusions and environmental storytelling, CAGES transports audiences into the world of Anhedonia where emotions are forbidden and hearts are locked in cages. Living in the shadows of a clocktower, Woolf spends his time bending broken gears into a sound machine. When he meets the peculiar Madeline everything changes. Long-buried stories come to the surface, and all he holds dear is threatened as the forces of the Judgement rise against him. A fantastical tale of love in a loveless world.
THEATRICAL THEME PARK AND BAR ON 7TH PLACE DOWNTOWN
Upon entering the Woolf and Wondershow Theater one is immediately transported into the mythical world of Anhedonia. The venue designed specifically for the show, promises audiences with secrets to discover and senses to explore. The Chemist Bar offers craft cocktails based on how you would like to feel.
Specialized cocktails such as:
LOVE: VULNERABLE + BLIND TO CONSEQUENCE
vodka, rose, strawberry and champagne
LUST: TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN
tequila, pear eau de vie, matcha & pencha teas, lime. chartreuse, nigiri sake, pineapple, absinthe
ANGER: YOUR DARKEST DEMON
bourbon, rye, cognac, cinnamon, amari, angostura
SADNESS: THE WEIGHT OF HER TEARS
gin, dry vermouths, sherry, saline, ashen herb,âmascaraâ
Like a theatrical theme park the bartenders and hosts at Woolf and the Wonderland Theater are all in character in the enchanted lounge area before the show begins. Creating atmosphere with stares and fiendish faces as a warm up before the show begins. Examination rooms and an possessed typist will tap out a line of gibberish for you to decipher while youâre sipping your cocktails pre-show and during intermission.
INNOVATIVE THEATER MAKING HEADWAYS IN DTLA
DTLA asked the creators, âIsnât New York City the place to be for theater?â Ben and CJ quickly responded, âThatâs the precise reason we decided to open this show in Los Angeles. We donât ever want to conform to any set pattern. Whether it be in art or anything that is supposed to be the norm.â
THE EVOLUTION OF THEATER HAPPENING ON OUR DOORSTEP
Many Ancient Grecians got to see history in the making back in the heyday of their Golden Age. But, many choose to stay home and miss epic performances that would change theatrical history. Shakespeareâs, Hamlet, as well had an premier at The Globe in London. The lucky ones went and were forever moved from a performance which unlocked their eyes and ears to their very selves and the core of their being.
CAGES is groundbreaking in the development of the art of theater. Using every aspect of modern technology and musicality CAGES, like its great predecessors before it, shines a light on the human soul in its everlasting search for love and to be free.
Venue: Woolf and the Wondershow Theatre, 1926 E. 7th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90012. www.cagesdtla.com
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