THE  JULES  VERNE  PROJECT
CONCERT  REVIEW 		 

7th FEBRUARY 2009

WE ARE PRESENTING ANOTHER PERFORMANCE 25 th APRIL 2009 (ANZAC DAY)


James Gibson


What the audience said.........


Rita & Nicole                   Photo Karen Mewes

From the bowels of the Earth wafted the plaintive songs of forsaken lovers, cries of 
wonderment from intrepid explorers, and the curses of a drunken sea captain - 
accompanied by the haunting beauty of cello and flute, the tinkling melodies of piano, 
guitar, and mandolin, and the lively fiddling of sea shanties.

The splendid galleries of Carey’s Cave, Wee Jasper provided the perfect setting for 
James Gibson’s adaptation of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth - a sound and light medley of contemporary, classical, and folk music commemorating the birthday 
of the famous writer. The event, staged by Crystal Clear Concerts and the brainchild 
of Geoff Kell, doyen of Carey’s Cave and folk music aficionado, was the highlight of 
this year’s Wee Jasper Naturally weekend.

Listen to an excerpt from Lakme


The privileged audience of seventy was treated to an escape from the soaring temperatures
above with a welcome 16 deg in the limestone chambers.



 Gareth Mewes
There we accompanied the Professor and his nephew, Axel, from Denmark to Reykjavic in the dubious care of drunken sea captain (Geoff Kell, mandolin and curses) on their perilous journey to explore the interior of the earth through a system of volcanos.    The merry fiddling of young folk musicians Amelia Gibson and Gareth Mewes added spice and fitting accompaniment to the lurchings of the sea captain

 Listen to an excerpt from Captain's Tale

  Amelia Gibson


         The candle-lit interior of the cave, illuminated stalactites and stalagmites, and the            measured tones of the narrator (James Gibson) created an inspiring atmosphere for lead singers Nicole Murphy and Judy Stubbs from the cabaret group Funkier than Alice.


Judy Stubbs


Nicole Murphy

Nicole’s sonorous laments at her separation from her lover, Axel, counterbalanced 
by the ebullient support of Judy (song, piano, and infectious enthusiasm) still linger
in my memory.  A most engaging episode was when the performers disappeared
into a far passage, leaving the audience in darkness with occasional catches of 
song and the flicker of candlelight as they emerged from a different passage. 
Masterful.

Listen to an excerpt from Hallelujah

  Rita Woolhouse (cello and classical guitar) provided calming continuity 
to the yearnings and searchings of the other performers 
and the safe return of the adventurers.

Listen to an excerpt from Man of Colours

The clearly expressed delight of both audience and performers 
demonstrated better than anything the success of the production. 

Listen to an excerpt from Dance Me To the End of Love (Encore)

Reviewed by Charles Barton
Oakey Creek, 12 Feb 2009


Rita Woolhouse


...........and what the musicians said..............
    

Thanks for inspiring us to create the Jules Verne Project. Initially, we had


no idea where the opportunity to move in the space and exploit the cave’s


physicality and acoustics would lead. To our delight we found that different


locations could create the sense of a cathedral, or a ship at sea, a place


of wonder or a place of deadly peril, and all with acoustics to match.


Performing with candlelight and the occasional cave light made for an


intimate and personal concert.





This was special. As musicians, we are used to being on stage, but having 
a
 story and being able to physically tell it as we journeyed was different.


The audience were very generous and certainly shared our enjoyment. 
We have
 talked amongst ourselves and would love to do it again some time.
















James
































Thank you to the performers and audience for a great experience!
 Thanks to George Serras for his fantastic photos!









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