keckler
keckler

The Voice of Joseph Keckler                                                                                                                 New Museum Theater

A delightfully casual evening of new works by classically trained opera singer and interdisciplinary performance artist Joseph Keckler. Truly Keckler is disarmingly calm as he welcomes all into his home; the stage. He begins with a premonition, a tale of a strange man who will call your home and inform you that he is waiting outside in a lincoln town car, curiosity will get the better of you and out you go to meet him, trepidation kicks in when you see him sitting there in the back seat, you think of running until…. he sings. When Joseph Keckler sings all brain waves of logic cease, the vibration of his voice is all consuming and we (I do feel safe in making this assumption for all humans who were in the room) want nothing more than to bask in the gift of his voice.

Held together by sparse piano and violin accompaniment, electric candlelight and a smattering of video-works, the evening takes quite a few twists and turns as it showcases Keckler’s humor. He takes us on a romp through his memoir of working for the infamous Millie of the Dead Languages dept, who forces him into an audition for the hit television show “The Voice”. Later we dip into the Italian mini opera he wrote and performed about “That Great Mushroom Trip of 2007”, followed by indulgences into dreams of returning to his teen goth days. All opera works in Italian are graciously presented with subtitles so we can be in on the jokes. In the spur of the moment a few torch songs were added to fill out the evening, these did feel a bit out place. Anything though, can be forgiven when in the presence of such a spectral artist who moves virtuosically between heart-stopping technical feats and sidesplitting personal candor.

Full of wit, grace, humor and social commentary Joseph Keckler gives us something that is unmistakably his voice.

By Greta Jane Pedersen

 

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