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Cities: Conversations in the Court of the Khan “Already the Great Khan was leafing through his atlas...He said: “it is all useless, if the last landing place can only be the infernal city, and it is there that, in ever narrowing circles, the current is drawing us.” And Polo said: “ The Inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: Accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space.” · Italo Calvino Performers soar on and above the stage as UMO Ensemble combines aerial choreography, vibrant music, and visually striking stage images in their newest work Cities: Conversations in the Court of the Khan. This large scale theatrical spectacle, conceived and written by UMO co-director Martha Enson, is the work of a dynamic collaborative team, including noted Seattle director Robin Lynn Smith, acclaimed musician/composer Amy Denio, set designer Ariel Goldberger, lighting designer Ben Geffen, and costume designer Patricia Toovey (the creator of many of UMO’s well known & beloved costume designs). Inspired by Italo Calvinos stirring novel Invisible Cities, Cities explores the themes of power and home through the 17-year friendship between the explorer Marco Polo and the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. Polo’s descriptions of the cities in the Khan’s empire expose these men’s relationships to their homes and to each other. In the production, UMO creates the world of each city Polo describes through a different physical metaphor, exploring Polo and Khan’s struggles with intimacy, broken dreams, and power, and creating a cartographic celebration of the human heart. In Cities, UMO weaves together the story with choral music, visual imagery and an array of movement styles from aerial work (including tightrope, web and hoop), to the tango, and wrestling to form an intense collage of amazing, unique theatre. Their diverse skills and incredible artistry have made UMO Ensemble one of the Northwest’s most remarkable performance troupes. Reviews: “...an enchanting evening that explores the nature of cities and the meaning of home...the effect is exotic and riveting...Mere words can’t capture the sad vicious beauty; you have to go see it for yourself.” UMO employs their strong physical skills, and there are arresting images, especially when the agile performers shimmy up ropes and execute elegant aerial acrobatics.” Premiered JUNE 7th, 2001 at On the Boards, Seattle THE CREATIVE TEAM UMO ENSEMBLE: Esther Edelman, Martha Enson, David Godsey, Kevin Joyce, Janet McAlpin, Bradley McDevitt
UMO Wishes to acknowledge those who have recognized the opportunity to
support the creation of Cities: Conversations in the Court of the Khan.
Funding for Cities provided by:
A special thank you to the patrons who gave generously during our December 4th Cities Benefit and our March 3rd Carnivale! Auction. |
    Photo credits: Michelle Bates |