On Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 pm, the dynamic team of Finn Campman and Paul Dedell present Three in the Wilderness, a modern mystery play. Featuring vocals by the inimitable Zara Bode, the evocative and sophisticated puppets of Finn Campman, and narrated by local legend Tony Barrand, this show explores the complexities of Christ’s Temptation in the Wilderness. The show will be presented one time only at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro before it travels up to be performed in Burlington.
Composer Paul Dedell’s original music provides an exotic soundscape, evoking a feeling of the Middle East. Speaking about the music, he says, “I chose the violin, resonating guitar, harmonium, and percussion for this score. I like the sound a lot — the combination of harmonium and resonating guitar creates a completely new sound that is almost unidentifiable. The violin soars over this, and matches the energy of each of the temptations –frenetic, soulful, questioning. I’m excited to have violinist Moby Pearson playing for this show, as well as Stefan Amidon on percussion. I play the resonating guitar. Stefan and I occasionally sing with Tony and Zara – both of whom really knock my socks off.”
Finn Campman designed and built the puppet figures of Christ, the Devil, and a third character known as the Fool. Campman is well known for his work with Sandglass Theater, and is co-founder and director of The Company of Strangers. Dedell comments, “Finn captures magic through objects. Whether it is a bird or bread roll, these objects carry and convey the emotional weight of the story. The puppets themselves are beautiful, and Finn and his fellow puppeteers Kirk Murphy and Helen Schmidt are highly practiced at their craft. The respect they have for the puppets as living creations is profound.”
In addition to the music that Dedell composed for this production, he included and arranged songs that bring the text to life in a contemporary manner. Among them are country songs such as “There Stands the Glass”, traditional ballads and political songs such as “The Man who Waters the Workers Beer”, old hymns, and fittingly, a blues song of Robert Johnson, “Me and the Devil.”
The performance will be at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, which is located at the corner of Bradley Avenue and Putney Road. It is part of a series of events produced by Winged Productions, Paul and Susan Dedell, directors. Suggested admission donation is $10. For more information call 348-7735 or wingedproductions.vt@gmail.com.