The first incarnation of "Must Don't" at St Ann's is actually Cameron Seymore's farewell concert designed to be a retrospective of her career. The show veers from the simple folk songs of her youth to the hits of pop stardom and is punctuated by tales of her fascinating career as a bandleader. Though the songs range in style, the attitude and energy of the show is celebratory like a James Brown concert with the entire band, including the horn section, up and dancing during certain numbers. Eventually, the entire show will look well-choreographed fireworks; all movement, all beauty, all the time. It is a farewell concert because Ms. Seymore has decided to renounce the ways of the world of commerce, retreating to a more spiritual and private realm. Since it is her last show, it would be filmed and this footage was shown throughout the concert -while the performance occurs-on a screen to the side of the stage. Also projected are infrequent cuts to live feed of a dancer (me) in the Green Room which exists within the structure of the stage but is unseen by the audience except when video feed is projected on the screen. Much to the dismay of the documentary crew, during one pinnacle number, the dancers engulf Ms. Seymore aiding and abetting her mysterious disappearance a la Houdini.
Cynthia asked me to perform as a representation of what we might do for the musical staging if / when we have professional back up dancers. I rehearsed with the thought of a setting the material on a slew of back up dancers but for this performance, the choreography was performed by members of the band. An exploration of memory, mystery and illusion, Must Don't will prove to be a very exciting feast of music, dance and magical escapades.
For this incarnation, I looked at: