The Three Christs
Photo by Luke Batten and Jonathan Sadler
“One of the more original and consistently provocative artists pushing at the margins of modern classical music and adventurous pop.”
The New York Times
A music-theater piece that combines themes of Messianic delusion, faith vs. doubt, and Christian gay-rehabilitation therapy. The show takes place in a Catholic-run mental institution and consists of group therapy sessions, visions of the Virgin Mary (a drag queen, naturally), and religious testimonials from psychiatric patients. The music combines aesthetics of traditional musical theater, cabaret, and postmodern art song, and is composed specifically for the amplified classical chamber ensemble, Newspeak, a group that combines the drive and immediacy of a rock band with the precision and intricacy of classically trained instrumentalists.
Artists involved: Corey Dargel, composer/lyricist; Andrew Sean Greer, book writer; Emma Griffin, director; Corey Dargel and Mellissa Hughes, vocals.
Lead artist: COREY DARGEL is a Texas-born composer and singer-songwriter whom The New York Times calls “one of the more original and consistently provocative artists pushing at the margins of modern classical music and adventurous pop” and whom Minnesota Public Radio describes as “a wonderfully difficult artist to define.” Dargel has shared the stage with artists ranging from Owen Pallett and Joanna Newsom to the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the string quartet ETHEL, and the electric guitar quartet Dither. Dargel’s latest commercial album is Someone Will Take Care of Me (2010, New Amsterdam Records) which contains songs from his music-theater work, Removable Parts (Outstanding Performance Art Production, New York Innovative Theatre awards). Dargel is also a founding member of the Brooklyn-based experimental theater company, Laboratory Theater. He’s on twitter @dargel.
Upcoming: The Three Christs is slated to premiere and tour in the 2014-15 season.