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Lee Breuer is an absolute treasure of American theater. This December 6th through the 22nd St. Ann’s Warehouse and LaMama will present La Divina Caricatura Part I at the Ellen Stewart Theater.

This video features interviews with the key contributors to Lee Breuer's La Divina Caricatura, Part One including Lee Breuer, Head Puppeteer Jessica Scott and Composer and Music Director Lincoln Schleifer. Please support this excellent project.

Eric Marciano and American Montage create this short film.

Co-presenters St. Ann’s Warehouse and La MaMa, and producers piece by piece productions, Mabou Mines and Dovetail Productions—all ardent and longtime supporters of Lee Breuer, the “bad boy of avant-garde theater” (Village Voice)—unite for Breuer’s epic magnum opus La Divina Caricatura. The mixed-media pop-opera completes Breuer’s Animations series and draws on material that stretches all the way back to Breuer’s doo-wop opera Sister Suzie Cinema, first conceived as a poem in 1975.

At the center of La Divina Caricatura is an unlikely lead character: a dog named Rose, who is making a Dantean pilgrimage to love and, hopefully, Paradiso. Lincoln Schleifer's music and arrangements incorporate the work of Bob Telson and John Margolis and covers a stunning array of styles, from 1950s doo-wop and 1960s soul to Argentinian tango, raga, reggae, rap, Gregorian chant and French folk tunes. The Brooklyn Rail has said, “The staging of La Divina Caricatura closely reflects the traditional performance of Bunraku puppetry. However, Divina is directed as an animated, epic movie, based on the narrative structure of Monzaemon’s Bunraku plays, which in turn closely mirror the structure of feature films.”

Please note: This production is not recommended for children under the age of 14. For any questions or concerns about this production or its content, please contact Emily@stannswarehouse.org .