In Klezskavania

ghoulish and grotesque: all hail the prince of darkness

By L. Sara Bysterveld

A journey to hell and back this April could be more fun than it sounds – if by hell we’re talking a dirty little pub in a fictional Eastern European country called Klezskavania, where the regulars break into bawdy opera pieces on a regular basis. One Yellow Rabbit’s In Klezskavania returns to the Big Secret Theatre starting April 5, seven years after the OYR ensemble and the Plaid Tongued Devils first brought the ghoulish hit to Calgary audiences. The play is a grotesque, musical fairytale, which was first written as a rock opera (and album by the same name) by the Devils, then adapted for the stage by the band and the OYR ensemble.

Set in Klezskavania’s Sinner’s Pub, the production centres on faceless hunchback Vladimir; Klezskavania’s ruler, Baron Leo Von Tantamount; lonely exotic dancer Lucy Du Lamour; and a rock ‘n roll Beelzebub. Why is Vladimir faceless? How will Lucy solve her problem with loneliness? What is the Prince of Darkness doing in Eastern Europe? And who will get laid by whom? I guess you’ll have to watch to find out.

Michael Green, co-founder and co-artistic director of One Yellow Rabbit, says that he and his fellow ensemble members are looking forward to being home for the month of April, after taking OYR on the road throughout February and March. Male ensemble members will take off again in May for Holland and Germany, where they will present Liberators, Occupiers and Population.

Green is especially looking forward to April because of the second coming of OYR’s “biggest smash hit,” In Klezskavania. “I’ve been trying to get it back on the stage of One Yellow Rabbit for six years,” he says. “Even though I’m in grotesque drag, it’s the one show that strangers actually come up to me on the street to talk about.”

This second run is great timing for the Plaid Tongued Devils, whose new album, Monsteroma, is released on April 1, with a CD release party April 1 and 2 at the Engineered Air Theatre. The party will feature the type of entertainment appropriate for a band whose music is a mix of klezmer and ska (get it? Klez-ska-vania?), with belly dancers and burlesque, a fire spinner and more. Three days later, In Klezskavania opens with the Devils playing the house band at The Sinner’s Pub.

Coincidentally, the band will also travel to Holland after the show closes to perform as part of the Canadian Consulate’s celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Liberation Day.

On my way to meet some friends at Olympic Plaza for some ice skating (It’s fun, try it sometime, and like nothing else in this city, it’s free!), I had to pass by the Municipal Building, or City Hall, call it what ever you like. I decided that a bottle of water would be quite nice, and from my parking ticket experiences, and having gone there to pay them, I had remembered there was a small store inside. Well, it was during business hours so I decided to make my way up the stairs and into the building when I noticed someone looking at me. Isn’t that the worst feeling when some freak is staring at you for no apparent reason? Anyway, the gaze actually felt like it was going through me, I tried to ignore it, but I had to turn my head. Then I remembered who it was. It was that little horse; standing on the steps, thinking it was so tough since it has his mom to protect him. I wonder how tough he’d be on his own, and there they were as they have always stood, the Family of Horses, by artist Harry O’Hanlon.

Born in Edmonton in 1916, Mr. O’Hanlon had quite the life before settling down as an artist. Educated in the US, he had been a soldier, an oilman, a rancher, and an adventurer. When he returned to Canada, he began to pursue art as a hobby, and had studied Native life and culture extensively. He is self-taught, no lessons, and his sculptures can be found in many private collections, the most famous being the one of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1977, one of O’Hanlon’s sculptures was presented to Prince Charles who exclaimed, “This isn’t going to any museum, it’s going to Buckingham Palace.” Good for him.

The Family of Horses was the winner of a competition in 1987 and erected in 1989. It consists of a stallion, a mare, and a baby (foal). The project was quite the source of financial debate, until Marg Southern, president of Spruce Meadows stepped in and put up the green for the horses. The bronze sculpture was scaled up to life size through a small model, some wood, clay, and Styrofoam. It was cut into 26 pieces for casting, and then welded together in a Montana foundry. If you’ve had the chance to see the horses close up, the only remarkable thing about them is that there is no trace of a welding job.

Sure they’re cute, who doesn’t like hoses, unless you’re deathly allergic, been kicked by one, or been bucked off by one, then I guess you’re exempt from liking them. But, these horses are different. They’re about as Albertan as it gets. They symbolize the west, as they are horses, and also do a nice job of representing Albertan values. The positioning of the stallion overlooking the mare and foal is supposed to signify the bond of kinship and strength among families, but I’d like to know why that stallion is so far away. Is he the big protector? To me it looks more like a custody battle. Look at the stallion; he’s gazing with longing towards his family while they’re turned away from him. He looks so sad. To me it represents quite symbolically a metaphor of our provincial values; if you’re not with us or if you’re different, there is no place for you here. You will stand alone, like the horse, but leave your tax dollars at the door.

The only thing missing with this sculpture is the other child. Shouldn’t our families have at least two children; one girl and one boy? Those horses are good for one thing, and that’s blocking the stairs from skaters. They shouldn’t be at the City Hall; they should be in a nice green park, where they could roam free together.