Vampyr going operatic for Halloween
For Halloween 2018, the LA Opera’s annual synthesis of movies and music will be a screening of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s artsy 1932 black-and-white horror film Vampyr, with the company’s resident singers and musicians performing a new score by Joby Talbot. The event will take place at the Ace Hotel’s theatre on two nights: Saturday, October 27 and Wednesday, October 31. Afterward, there will be costume parties (included with price of admission) on both nights for patrons over 21.
Reportedly made in response to Universal Pictures’ 1931 production of Dracula (Dreyer thought there was another way to achieve onscreen horror), Vampyr eschews conventional Gothic horror in favor of an eerie, surreal approach, featuring a dream-like narrative filled with deliberately bizarre and puzzling moments (e.g., while a man sits on a bench, his shadow gets up and walks away, leaving him behind). Though not as famous as other horror classics from the early sound era, Vampyr has come to be highly regarded among cineastes, earning a reputation as one of the great achievements in the genre.
The Ace Hotel is located at 33 South Broadway, Los Angeles, 90015. Performances start at 8pm both nights.
Tickets range from $29 to $99.
Read more details from the description at the official website:
Our annual Halloween mash-up of opera and cinema returns to the spectacular gothic cavern that is The Theatre at Ace Hotel with filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer’s surreal 1932 masterwork.
Championed by the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Guillermo del Toro, the previously underestimated Vampyr has come to be regarded as an important landmark of the horror genre. Pioneering special effects, eerie visual poetry and off-kilter characters combine to weave a bizarre, dream-like narrative that will haunt audiences new and familiar alike.
Composer Joby Talbot creates a compelling new score for chamber orchestra and singers, performed live under the baton of Matthew Aucoin, which in the stunning environment of the Theatre at Ace Hotel makes for a night of theatre like no other.
The October 27th performance is followed by the Ace’s annual Halloween party, this year titled “The Fanged Fête” presented by Restless Nites. DJs, drinks, and dark arts abound. Dweller-of-the-night attire encouraged. (admission included with opera ticket)
The October 31st performance is followed by LA Opera’s costumed after-party. (admission included with opera ticket)
