Zaubernacht
(Magical Night)
Music by
Kurt Weill
Mime By
T. Daniel & Laurie Willets
The American Premiere of Kurt Weill’s complete first stage work, Magical Night, took place at the Ravinia Festival with a new pantomime reimagined by internationally-acclaimed mime artists T. Daniel & Laurie Willets and performed by T. Daniel Productions.
Zaubernacht received its World Premiere in Berlin in 1922, yet by the time it made its only other appearance, in New York in 1925, portions of the original score were already missing and the gaps filled in by other composers. After the New York performance, the orchestration and the scenario disappeared for 80 years, until an original set of instrumental parts was discovered in 2006 at Yale University Library where they had been stored in the wrong safe after being deposited there by Boritsch’s widow. No trace of the scenario, however, was ever found. This music set was used to create this Kurt Weill critical edition, which received its World Premiere at Covent Garden in London during December 2011.
The Ravinia Festival performance marked the 90th anniversary of Weill’s original composed work and the American Premiere. This performance also marked the World Premiere of T. Daniel and Laurie Willets’ new scenario.
A Symphonic Fantasy In Mime
Kurt Weill’s
Zaubernacht (Magical Night) with
a New Pantomime by
T. Daniel & Laurie Willets
Performed by
T. Daniel Productions
“I was fortunate enough to attend the recent “Magical Night” at Ravinia. My husband and I were absolutely delighted with the performance and were so glad we could be there. It was particularly innovative and a completely unique experience. The musical component was terrific, but we were particularly enthralled with the pantomime aspect. It seems there’s a great opportunity for this type of pairing - it very much enhanced the overall experience and truly brought the music to life. Thank you very much for a lovely evening.”
Angela & Phil Whitby,
Angela Whitby
SVP Planning Director
Leo Burnett, Chicago
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“All of us in the audience were completely entranced by your rendition of Kurt Weill’s Magical Night. As always, you and T. Daniel were masterful mimes and the members of your troupe were equally talented. The costumes and the acting were superb. I hope that you have the opportunity to take this production to a greater audience. It will certainly be well received! Bravo! Bravo!”
Best regards,
Betsey Pinkert
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“We just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed Magical Night at Ravinia last night. The pantomime you choreographed and performed was amazing. And it was wonderful to see how enthusiastic the audience was. It was very much a magical night.”
Joanne & Stuart Goodman
Highland Park, IL
A SYMPHONIC FANTASY IN MIME
T. Daniel Productions is one of few Mime companies in the world that creates full stage theatrical productions and works with orchestras to bring classical music to the eyes and ears. Under the direction of Artistic Directors, T. Daniel and Laurie Willets, T. Daniel Productions has produced innovative stage productions Fantasmia, Merlin & The Color of Magic and others. Shadows of a Mind, created by T. Daniel and Laurie Willets with images of light by Etienne Bertrand Weill, has been called “... moments to take the breath away.” These productions have toured the world spreading the artistic enjoyment of the ancient art of Mime. T. Daniel Productions, working with classical music, was the first Mime company to perform Jean Cocteau’s and Darius Milhaud’s Le Boeuf sur le Toit, as well as the World Premiere of the work with the four-hand piano version. The production was presented at the Ravinia Festival in 2010 with Music Director James Conlon conducting. Daniel and Willets work with chamber music ensembles has broadened the horizon of Mime, bringing Mime and Music to diverse audiences. Their repertoire includes such composers as J. S. Bach, Poulenc, Satie, Larsen, Dorff, Debussy and others. Their performances of Stravinsky’s and Ramuz’ L’Histoire du Soldat has brought praise from critics and concert presenters. Fantasmia, a full evening stage play, prompted one critic to say, “Fantasmia has shown us that Mime can reach a philosophical dimension.” Theirs is the innovative and artistic talent that created this new pantomime production with Kurt Weill’s exquisite music, Magical Night.