Soldier Song

[uwsman2]

There's a new "festival" in NYC called Prototype which is going through its first short season right now. A few days ago I saw their production of Someida's Song, a one-act opera by the hot young composer Mohammed Fairouz. Tonight I saw their production of Soldier Song by David T. Little, another hot young composer. These are both modern works but in a listener-friendly idiom. Fairouz is more traditional, and I think it has had its last performance in this run, but Soldier Song is much less traditional, much heavier, and will be on again this coming week Wednesday through the weekend. It is very much worth seeing, although - combat veterans beware - it could trigger PSTD attacks. The composer and director have tried to express the emotional impact of combat on the soldier through a combination of music, lighting, projections, special effects, snippets of interviews with combat veterans. The soldier, played by Christopher Burchett, is an extraordinary singing actor. The Boy, played by young Zac Ballard, is touchingly effective. I felt numb at the end - the assault on the senses is overwhelming and I'll be processing the effect of this for days.

 

Anybody looking for an extraordinary theatrical experience should look into attending this one.