A show about failure, by two award-winning failures. After failing to win numerous awards and after many unsuccessful funding applications, 24 Italian Songs and Arias is a recital, an opera, a gathering for (and by) those whose best isn’t always enough.
(Beloved) performance artist Brian Lobel failed to get into the New York State Choir. (Acclaimed) Soprano Gweneth-Ann Rand (4.48 Psychosis, Royal Opera House; Aida, English National Opera) failed to win at Cardiff Singer of the World. These two magnificent failures have joined forces to create a show about trying your best, aiming to please and how we ever know if we are ‘good enough’.
There’s no dress code…but you won’t be turned away for donning a top hat or silky gloves, should the mood strike you.
Cast: Brian Lobel, Gweneth-Ann Rand, Allyson Devenish and Naomi Felix
In collaboration with the choir of laGeste
Developed with support from The Yard, London, Certain Blacks and Arts Council England.
Press quotes:
“It’s hard to resist the gorgeous final moments which remind that sometimes imperfection is far more interesting than flawless perfection, and often just having a go is a success in itself”
Lyn Gardner - Stagedoor
“Without romanticising failure or bitterly rehashing it, this is a performance about frustration, drifting and feeling ‘not good enough’”
Tatjana Damjanovic - The Spy in the Stalls
