City Opera Vancouver presents The Book of My Shames by Isaiah Bell and Sean Guist at the Firehall Arts Centre on May 18-20.
In The Book of My Shames, a persistent emptiness of heart drives a youth from a restrictive fundamentalist commune to a passion for bad men and on to a successful but strangely hollow life on the stage. Combining rapid-fire monologues and personal stories with an array of original music — chansons and ballads, cleverly touching cabaret songs, and expansive operatic scenas — this “comic, wrenching, and personal tour-de-force” reminds us that desire, rejection, shame, and the longing to be loved are themes common to us all. Isaiah just does it with operatic pathos and a wink, and possibly the most memorable use of a red plastic bucket you have yet to see.
“In this extraordinary and personal, difficult and charming show, Bell reminds us that desire, rejection, shame, and the longing to be loved are themes common to us all,” say organizers. “He does it with operatic passion and a wink.”
In this edition of Before The Curtain Goes Up, Vancouver Presents contributor David C Jones speaks with creator Isaiah Bell to learn more.
City Opera Vancouver presents The Book of My Shames at the Firehall Arts Centre (280 E Cordova St, Vancouver) from May 18-20. Visit cityoperavancouver.com for tickets and information.