rime of the ancient mariner

 

With Rime of the Ancient Mariner - a 90-minute musical adaptation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s greatest work - the band collaborates with American visual artist Mark Holthusen to create a show that is somewhere between a baroque movie and a concert.

The show is a glorious visual cabinet of curiosities that enthrals on all its surreal fronts, a version of madness that matches the lonely voice of Coleridge’s mariner with the sadness of Jacques’ lyrics and music... Unforgettable.
— The Arts Desk

For killing an albatross, the mariner and his crew are punished with drought and death. Amidst a series of supernatural events, the mariner’s life alone is spared and he repents. His penance is to wander the earth and tell his tale with the lesson that “all things great and small” are important.

In a modern retelling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic, legendary balladeers The Tiger Lillies spin this epic tale into a hauntingly beautiful, large-scale multimedia performance. Together with acclaimed visual artist Mark Holthusen, the flamboyant and eccentric band unfolds the story of the ill-fated mariner with exquisite melancholy and lusty menace. Part concert and part film, this is a welcome return from the co-creators of the cult sensation Shockheaded Peter. The show premiered in France in 2012 and has since toured extensively receiving an enthusiastic audience response as well as rave reviews throughout the world. Running time: 90 minutes

 

CREDITS

Vocals, Accordion, piano, guitare : Martyn Jacques Contra Bass, Musical Saw, Theremin, Vocals : Adrian Stout Percussion: Jonas Golland Animation and Photography : Mark Holthusen
Lighting Design : Begoña Garcia-Navas, James Loudon Stage Manager : Pete Sach or Rebecca Anson Video / Light: David Bernard Sound : Claus Buehler

Production : Maison de la musique de Nanterre (France), The Tiger Lillies (United Kingdom), Quaternaire (France)
Coproduction :  Théâtre de Nîmes  - scène convetionnée pour la danse contemporaine (France), Scène Nationale de Sète et du Bassin de Thau (France).