Of all the things proposed for FestivALL this year, the one I’ve been the most interested in has been Doug Imbrogno’s “space opera” “St. Stephen’s Dream” at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. In my mind, where FestivALL succeeds is when it thinks big, lets its creative hair down and just runs with it –and this describes the intention of “St. Stephen’s Dream.”
This is also the chief reason why, year after year, I tend to frown on the Mayor’s Concert. In my mind, FestivALL is a forward looking arts and music festival celebrating the city and where we want to go instead of stale nostalgia edifying a happy youth.
I know Doug, of course. He’s an editor at the Gazette. I’ve known him for about seven years.
Doug mentioned his space opera months and months ago and after he got the approval to do it through FestivALL, I knew I needed to see this. I wasn’t looking forward to it because I believed it was going to be good. I had my doubts immediately. I looked forward to it because it was a risk. It was a silly, ridiculous, utterly preposterous idea flung into the fan of FestivALL that didn’t seem to be attached to anything but Doug’s ego.
He was going to put his heart out there in a big way and I respect that, I encourage that kind of nonsense, think more people should do it more often and besides, his idea sounded pretty loopy and I love loopy.
But…
It’s not great. The story line involves a recently released from jail folk band playing in a recently resuscitated bar in the bottom of a space ship, hovering somewhere above the earth.This has taken place sometime after civilization has finally finished off the earth and most of humanity has escaped the dying world –sort of like in “Wall-e,” but with fewer cute robots and fat people in track suits.
Visually, the show sort of looks like what an old Doctor Who episode might look (say… 1977) if were turned to music and performed live. For a space opera, it needs a bit more atmosphere –but it’s probably fair to imagine the budget was somewhere around a shoestring, possibly two shoestrings.
Basically, the set could be better, but it’s workable.
The most glaring problem with St. Stephen’s Dream is the story is kind of half-baked –and by that I mean, it doesn’t feel finished. The dramatic bits and the songs songs don’t really act as connected tissue for the larger story. The characters on stage are just sketches with vague histories and relationships with each other. There isn’t much of a plot and the action is a bit of a tangle.
It boldly strives in the direction of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” or even Shooter Jennings’ “Black Ribbons” and gets lost in the bushes.
“St. Stephen’s Dream” could use another round of rewrites, some new or different songs and a few workshops to work out the kinks and make it more coherent.
But…
The general idea is good. The concept of what the play is about has real merit –a post ecological meltdown passion play. There are interesting, underlying themes of remorse, longing, grief and even resistance to authority. It is an ambitious play that wants to be a lot more than it is –and probably could be, but it needs work –and a new ending.
Doug is thinking of this as a trilogy or series, with more installments to come,which would explain the ending, but the generally with trilogies and serials is the first book has to stand on its own (see… Star Wars).
On the plus side –the music is nice. The songs range from soothing and thoughtful to rousing. Doug, along with the Option 22 and Kathleen Coffee gave an engaging musical performance. Coffee and Lori McKinney, particularly, shined with their vocals –and truth be told, it was interesting to watch Coffee bounce around the room in a white leotard, feathered mask and wings.
This would be Coffee minus wings and the white suit.
For all its faults and I named off quite a few, “St. Stephen’s Dream” is still what I thought it was –one of the most interesting and unusual offerings for FestivALL. It’s also an undeniable step in the right direction –experimental local theater. Doug should be lauded for that –and supported.