Still Life at the Penguin Cafe
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Still Life at the Penguin Cafe is a ballet composed by Simon Jeffes and choreographed by David Bintley. The ballet's initial production in 1988 was performed by The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, in England. The ballet was conceived by David Bintley (resident choreographer at Covent Garden), who approached Simon Jeffes about the music. The music for the ballet was drawn from several musical pieces composed by Jeffes before the ballet was conceived, composed during the period 1981 to 1987. Most of the pieces were originally written for small ensembles, consisting of, for example, violin, cello, guitar and piano. Jeffes orchestrated the pieces for the ballet, and in the Royal Ballet production, they are performed by a full orchestra. The ballet was filmed in 1988 by London Weekend Television, produced by Portobello Productions, RM Arts, and Thames Television. The ballet is available on Laserdisc and VHS tape, and (after a long wait by fans) classical musical recording company ArtHaus will publish a DVD of the ballet (the same 1988 version from the LaserDisk) in early 2008. The name of the ballet is based on the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, which was Simon Jeffe's ensemble that performed his (non-ballet) works.
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[edit] Ballet Story
The pieces in the ballet are:
1. The Penguin Cafe (musical piece Air รก Danser)
2. Utah Longhorn Ram (musical piece Prelude and Yodel)
3. Texan Kangaroo Rat (musical piece Long Distance, original title Horns of a Bull )
4. Humbolts' Hog Nosed Skunk Flea (musical piece The Ecstacy of the Dancing Flea, original title Pythagoras's Trousers)
5. Southern Cape Zebra (SCZ)(musical piece White Mischief)
6. Rain Forest People (musical piece Now Nothing)
7. Brazilian Woooly Monkey (musical piece Music By Numbers)
8. Conclusion (musical piece Numbers 1-4)
[edit] Story Line
A voice-over at the beginning (voiced by Jeremy Irons) describes how the Great Auk was very recently made extinct by man. The initial segment is set in a cafe, and several humans and penguins dance. Each subsequent segment prior to the conclusion shows an endangered species (or, in the case of the Rain Forest People, a culture). The Conclusion shows all the characters withstanding a downpour, and gathering on an ark-like boat.
The overall theme of the ballet is pro-environment, pro-conservation. The ballet seeks to make the audience more aware of endangered species.
[edit] Production Details
From the 1988 production:
- Performed by the Royal Ballet
- Composed by Simon Jeffes
- Choreographed by David Bintley
- Designed by Hayden Griffin
- Music performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
- Conducted by Isaiah Jackson
- Narrated by Jeremy Irons
[edit] Dancers
- Utah Longhorn Ram - Deborah Bull
- Ram Partner - Guy Niblett
- Texan Kangaroo Rat - Bruce Sansom
- Humboldt's Hog-nosed Skunk Flea - Fiona Brockway
- Southern Cape Zebra - Phillip Broomhead
- Rain Forest People - Tracy Brown, Jonathon Cope, Michelle di Lorenzo
- Braziilan Wooly Mondy - Stephen Jefferies
- The Great Auk - Nicola Roberts
[edit] Recordings and Publications
- Laser Disk: London/Decca #071 222-1 (1991). See production details above for choreographer, etc. Out of print.
- CD: Polygram records (1991) ASIN B00000E42T. BBC Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth. Out of print.
- Sheet music, arranged for piano by Henry Roche. Published by Peters Edition Ltd (London) 2002; ISBN 0-9542720-0-5. Still in print as of November 2007.
- VHS tape - Polygram Records; ASIN 630202367X, 1992. Out of print.
- DVD - Published by ArtHaus. ASIN: B000Y351ZC. Not yet available. Planned availability in January 2008.
[edit] Flip Side
Both the Laser Disk and upcoming DVD contain a 40 minute documentary on the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, on the flip side of the ballet.
