The Onion Cellar
Encyclopedia
The Onion Cellar is a play that premiered at the Zero Arrow Theater (a venue at the American Repertory Theater), in Cambridge, Massachusetts
from December 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007. It is a cross between a musical, cabaret show, rock concert and drama. It was the brain child of Amanda Palmer
who based the title of the production on a chapter from Günter Grass
's The Tin Drum
. In the novel, The Onion Cellar is a bar in post-war Germany where people go to share painful memories and cry. While drinking and talking, the clients peel onions, both to make crying easier and to lessen the shame for those afraid to express their feelings openly.
In this production, although the audience members are seated as if they were in a night club, there is no peeling of onions. However, the various characters do speak and sing of pain, death, rejection and loneliness, and also of the relief found in sharing their sadness. The mixture of speech and song is consistent with the genre of the American musical, but style is more reminiscent of cabaret. There are also frequent performances by Amanda Palmer
and Brian Viglione
's duo The Dresden Dolls
, who portray the house band of the Onion Cellar, as well as characters in the play.
Throughout the show The Dresden Dolls break the fourth wall
and often directly address the audience and talk about the process whereby The Onion Cellar came into existence. Both inside the theatre and in the lobby, they have displayed letters and objects by fans, critics and audience members from earlier trial runs of the show. They intentionally mix genres and scenes of dramatic action. "The music, too, has a schizophrenic quality. The songs are sometimes in sync with the action; others feature counterpoint while still others are off in a world of their own."
The Onion Cellar was conceived and written by Amanda Palmer, Johnathan Marc Sherman, Marcus Stern, Christine Jones, Anthony Martignetti, and the cast. The running time is 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
It was directed by Marcus Stern and stage managed by Jennifer Sturch, with set design by Christine Jones, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by Justin Townsend, and sound design by David Remedios.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
from December 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007. It is a cross between a musical, cabaret show, rock concert and drama. It was the brain child of Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
who based the title of the production on a chapter from Günter Grass
Günter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
's The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's .- Plot summary :The story revolves around the life of Oskar Matzerath, as narrated by himself when confined in a mental hospital during the years 1952-1954...
. In the novel, The Onion Cellar is a bar in post-war Germany where people go to share painful memories and cry. While drinking and talking, the clients peel onions, both to make crying easier and to lessen the shame for those afraid to express their feelings openly.
In this production, although the audience members are seated as if they were in a night club, there is no peeling of onions. However, the various characters do speak and sing of pain, death, rejection and loneliness, and also of the relief found in sharing their sadness. The mixture of speech and song is consistent with the genre of the American musical, but style is more reminiscent of cabaret. There are also frequent performances by Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
and Brian Viglione
Brian Viglione
Brian Viglione is the drummer for The Dresden Dolls. Additionally, he was a prominent member of New York City's cabaret punk orchestra, The WORLD/INFERNO Friendship Society...
's duo The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
, who portray the house band of the Onion Cellar, as well as characters in the play.
Throughout the show The Dresden Dolls break the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
and often directly address the audience and talk about the process whereby The Onion Cellar came into existence. Both inside the theatre and in the lobby, they have displayed letters and objects by fans, critics and audience members from earlier trial runs of the show. They intentionally mix genres and scenes of dramatic action. "The music, too, has a schizophrenic quality. The songs are sometimes in sync with the action; others feature counterpoint while still others are off in a world of their own."
it was never supposed to be a dark, dismal, sobfest as the article sort of implies: it was supposed to be an interactive environment with lots of confusion, fun, prankery, audience participation and also darker images images about Grass himself, the holocaust, guilt, the creation of art in terms of grappling with the past and how we, as humans, try to come to terms with emotions that are difficult to face.- Amanda Palmer
The Onion Cellar was conceived and written by Amanda Palmer, Johnathan Marc Sherman, Marcus Stern, Christine Jones, Anthony Martignetti, and the cast. The running time is 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
The company
The cast consists of The Dresden Dolls, Remo Airaldi, Merritt Janson, Jeremy Geidt, Karen Macdonald, Kristen Frazier, Neil P. Stewart, Claire Elizabeth Davies, Thomas Derrah, Brian Farish, Brian Viglione and Amanda Palmer.It was directed by Marcus Stern and stage managed by Jennifer Sturch, with set design by Christine Jones, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by Justin Townsend, and sound design by David Remedios.
The set list
The songs are integral to the plot of the show and are sprinkled throughout. Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione perform throughout the show, including compositions originally from their previous albums.- Introductory song (unreleased)
- Necessary Evil (from Yes, VirginiaYes, VirginiaYes, Virginia... is the second studio album by American dark cabaret band The Dresden Dolls, released in April 2006. The album was recorded in September 2005, with some extra vocal work and the mixing done the following November....
) - Good Day (from The Dresden DollsThe Dresden Dolls (album)The Dresden Dolls is the self-titled debut studio album by American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls. It was recorded by Brooklyn producer Martin Bisi and released on 26 September 2003 on 8ft. Records, the band's personal label. Upon signing with Roadrunner Records, the album was re-released on...
) - Coin-Operated BoyCoin-Operated Boy"Coin-Operated Boy" is a single by The Dresden Dolls duo, taken from the self-titled debut album The Dresden Dolls. It was produced by Martin Bisi and released on December 13, 2004 by Roadrunner Records. "Coin-Operated Boy" was written by Amanda Palmer...
(from The Dresden DollsThe Dresden Dolls (album)The Dresden Dolls is the self-titled debut studio album by American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls. It was recorded by Brooklyn producer Martin Bisi and released on 26 September 2003 on 8ft. Records, the band's personal label. Upon signing with Roadrunner Records, the album was re-released on...
) - The Gardener (later released on No, Virginia)
- DelilahDelilah (The Dresden Dolls song)"Delilah" is a song by the punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, released on their second studio album Yes, Virginia....The song is speculated to have many meanings, ranging from Delilah being a woman who continues to come back to a man who doesn't treat her right, to Delilah being a prostitute who...
(from Yes, VirginiaYes, VirginiaYes, Virginia... is the second studio album by American dark cabaret band The Dresden Dolls, released in April 2006. The album was recorded in September 2005, with some extra vocal work and the mixing done the following November....
) - Sex Changes (from Yes, VirginiaYes, VirginiaYes, Virginia... is the second studio album by American dark cabaret band The Dresden Dolls, released in April 2006. The album was recorded in September 2005, with some extra vocal work and the mixing done the following November....
) - Half Jack (from The Dresden DollsThe Dresden Dolls (album)The Dresden Dolls is the self-titled debut studio album by American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls. It was recorded by Brooklyn producer Martin Bisi and released on 26 September 2003 on 8ft. Records, the band's personal label. Upon signing with Roadrunner Records, the album was re-released on...
) - SingSing (Dresden Dolls single)"Sing" is the first single by The Dresden Dolls duo, taken from the second studio album Yes, Virginia.... It was never released in shops, only as a promo for radio stations...
(from Yes, VirginiaYes, VirginiaYes, Virginia... is the second studio album by American dark cabaret band The Dresden Dolls, released in April 2006. The album was recorded in September 2005, with some extra vocal work and the mixing done the following November....
)
External links
- Website of The Onion Cellar with photos
- Photos of The Onion Cellar by Sheri Hausey
- Amanda Palmer's Drawings and Photos from the production