Inspired by the elaborate 17th century court masques, YOU US WE ALL begins with ultimate theatrical extravagances: the music, costume and stage are rich with a contemporary baroque – exaggerated decorative flourishes, allegorical and historical references.  Everything is maximalist.  Even the language is a hyper-hybrid of Middle English and contemporary colloquialisms.

The work unfolds in a series of episodes in which the characters reflect on the meaning of their everyday existence.  As the characters LOVE, DEATH, HOPE and VIRTUE parade through the masque of their lives, TIME destroys everything.  Gradually facades are stripped away until, ultimately, the performers are without clothes, architectural context or linguistic flourishes.

A string of musical and theatrical episodes follows the characters Virtue, Love, Hope, Time and Death on their search for meaning in today’s existence. The performance starts with full blown baroque extravaganza in the form of a court masque, the British precursor of opera.

CREDITS

ANDREW ONDREJCAK– text, direction, scenography & costumes
SHARA WORDEN – music & arrangements, HOPE
HELGA DAVIS – VIRTUE
BERNHARD LANDAUER – DEATH
MARTIN GERKE – LOVE
CARLOS SOTO – TIME
PIETER THEUNS  & B.O.X. – music performance
BOX OFFICE VZW – production

Coproduction: De Singel Antwerpen, Internationales Sommerfestival Hamburg.With the support of the Flemish authorities. Special thanks to Huis Happaert and Bernaerts.

Full credits and biographies here

photos: courtesy of Tom Roelofs

B.O.X. collaborates on ‘You US We All’ with Shara Worden, who is known for My Brightest Diamond and her collaborations With Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens. Director and stage designer Andrew Ondrejcak studied architecture and stage directing. His most recent production, ‘Veneration #1: The Young Heir Takes Possession of The Master’s Effects’, was presented at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, by curator Robert Wilson.