A theatrical concert performance premiering songs from a new musical, Red Devil Moon, inspired by Jean Toomer’s Cane, will be presented on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 8PM and Sunday, November 16 at 3PM at the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre in Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Composer and bandleader Pam Ortiz has written 16 songs for the production, and poet/playwright Robert Earl Price has written narration and dialog that connect songs and story. Price’s book for the full-length musical is inspired by the novel, Cane, by Jean Toomer, originally published in 1923.
Music in the show will be performed by the Gospel trio Sombarkin, and the Pam Ortiz Band. Sombarkin, whose members include Karen Somerville, Lester Barrett Jr., and Jerome McKinney, is well known and admired for their deeply layered and finely wrought sound and vocal arrangements. The Pam Ortiz Band, whose members include Nevin Dawson (viola, violin and vocals), Philip Dutton (piano, keyboards and vocals), Ford Schumann (guitar and vocals), Bob Ortiz (percussion and vocals), and Pam Ortiz (guitar and vocals), will be joined by Tom Anthony on bass and Ray Anthony on drums.
Jean Toomer’s Cane is widely considered the first major text of the Harlem Renaissance. The novel has long been an inspiration for playwright Robert Earl Price, who approached Ortiz, after hearing her 2012 album of original tunes, with the idea of collaborating on a new piece of musical theatre.
Red Devil Moon, inspired by Jean Toomer’s Cane tells the story of events that unfold on the night of the full moon during the sugarcane harvest in South Georgia. The enveloping scent of boiling cane syrup, the observant creatures of the night, the provocative moon, and conflicted characters conspire to set the backdrop for a love story that is both personal and universal.
This performance is being funded in part by grants from the Kent County Arts Council and the GAR Charles Sumner Post #25 with special sponsorship by the Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre.
Advance tickets and reservations are recommended and may be obtained at The Garfield Center for the Arts, 210 High St., Chestertown, MD 21620
(410) 810 – 2060 or by visiting www.GarfieldCenter.org
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