BRATTLEBORO — Paul Dedell's “Out of the Lion's Mouth” will premiere on Saturday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m, and Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m., at St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
Featuring Elle Jamieson, soprano; Greg Lesch, bass; David Tasgal, clarinet; and the voices of The Choir School, directed by Susan Dedell, this modern take on a medieval mystery play is a quirky new look at a fascinating old story – Daniel in the Lion's Den.
“I've discovered that most people don't know what I mean when I say I've written a mystery play,” says Dedell, who goes on to explain that the word “mystery” refers to a miracle, or a fable, or a supernatural event. Mystery plays originated in the 10th century and flourished for 500 years before they were banned because they were considered controversial or heretical.
“They were the first musicals,” says Dedell, “consisting of narration, drama, and wonderful original and arranged music. They could be quite simple, or extravagantly wild.
“I began by wanting to write something using a children's choir, and the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den just jumped out. It offered some great opportunity for humor, as well as being a story that is surprisingly relevant.
“I liked the idea of having a children's chorus sing the role of the officious and corrupt Satraps, who were jealous of Daniel and resented him because he was an outsider. In addition to being a bit comic, it works - because on a basic emotional level children really understand the feelings that motivated the behavior of the Satraps, as well as how Daniel felt at the mean treatment.
“The lions in the story gave me a lot of pleasure. In the original story, they are merely ferocious. I embellished upon that and decided that they would be overtly proud of their ferocity, and pleased with their cushy job in the arena. I enjoyed thinking about how much fun the kids would have singing the raucous lion song, with its rather ridiculous lyrics.”
Greg Lesch, well known in the area as a fine actor, plays and sings the only adult role in the play, that of King Darius.
“King Darius is vain, easily swayed, and desirous of keeping his power,” Dedell relates. “Even so, he sees qualities in the honest Daniel that he admires and trusts. The music I wrote for him is more complex – sometimes pompous and smarmy, sometimes wistful and questioning. Greg is such a fabulous actor – one of the funniest I have ever seen, in addition to his ability to play drama. He is perfect for this role.”
Daniel is played by Elle Jamieson. Dedell says, “Elle is just so good. She sings in a beautifully pure and unselfconscious manner. Like the character of Daniel, she herself is thoughtful, loyal and has a brave heart. Although the character is male in the original story, the part was written to be played by either a boy or girl soprano.”
Dedell uses a vaguely “Babylonian-Judean”sound for the score, which is scored for piano, clarinet, and percussion. “I love the clarinet. It sings, swoops, chatters, stutters, dances. I wanted to give it a klezmer twist, so I asked clarinetist David Tasgal to play. David plays with klezmer groups in the area, and is also a great improviser.”
With Out of the Lion's Mouth, Dedell returns to his roots as a composer of musical theater. His first full length musical score, written shortly after graduation from college, won the prestigious David B. Marshall award. Since then, he has written choral pieces, chamber music, songs, and, locally, scores for Sandglass Theater, Marlboro College productions, and the Vermont Symphony.