Savannah’s Lucas Theatre was the historical backdrop to Friday night’s incredibly beautiful performance of Off the Wall and Onto the Stage, Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green. Gullah life in South Carolina’s Lowcountry coast is what serves as the root behind Mr. Green’s colorful and bold brush strokes and the evocotive stories he tells through his paintings. William Starrett’s choregraphy takes Green’s images to the next level, by continuing “the stories” through dance.
Amadeus, by Green
The backdrops on stage are huge paintings by Jonathan Green, while scrims, or transluscent-like veneers with 22 of Green’s previous works, overlap the backdrops. It is here where the images become real life in the form of the dancers, with mostly recorded music to accompany. Traditional folk, mixed with blues, hymns, and live performances in the second act by Marlena Smalls, a multi-talented actress, educator, and blues singer.
This was truly an inventive and inspiring production to be a part of, if only as an audience member.