Manchester musicians and actors dramatise the dark tale of Lou Reed’s BERLIN
A collective of musicians and actors will dramatise the dark tale of Lou Reed’s album Berlin at the King’s Arms on Friday 3 July.
The mix of live performance and film is collaboration between the Manchester Musical Arts Collective, the E.P.I and Zodiac film, performed before a strictly limited audience.
We are recreating the Berlin album but expanding it beyond the four walls of the music
Gino Brandolani plays Jim and Carrie Lawson is Caroline. Their fatally flawed romance is set to music by Nina Antonia, with narration by Rob Gray.
"We are recreating the Berlin album but expanding it beyond the four walls of the music,” said Gino.
“The two protagonists, Jim and Caroline, are involved in an incredibly sad tale of domestic abuse, drug abuse, prostitution, general misery and misogyny. We want to explore the difficulties people have within relationships. We allow ourselves to go too far.”
Nina said: “What appealed to me about narrating the voice of Caroline was that I can expand and explore the theme of Berlin. Like Lou Reed’s best material they are character studies. So Caroline is this glamorous disempowered woman and in a sense she is steered by Jim to her doom.
“What is interesting is the way she is compared throughout the album to different women, for example, Mary Queen of Scots. If you look at face value it is a complement but in fact she was tried and executed.
“You have the reference to Billie Holliday, a major talent but she lived an extremely difficult life with difficult men and substance misuse. What is great about Lou Reed is the layers of complexity. It has been a real challenge.”
In some respects it is the story of my life. It reflects the reality of living with somebody violent, abusive and bringing children up in that environment. It is cathartic.
Carrie, who was in Durutti Column, said: “In some respects it is the story of my life. It reflects the reality of living with somebody violent, abusive and bringing children up in that environment. It is cathartic.”
Gino added: “This is a completely new production. We have performed parts of Berlin to see how it worked. This is our first time at Greater Manchester Fringe. Hopefully if the premiere is well received we will tour with it. We have talked to people in New York and LA.
“Even though it is a dark subject there are some positives, some humour. It is not just a 1960s Swedish film. The other musicians are from The Wild Pansies and The Loved Ones. It is great fun, great entertainment.”
BERLIN - Friday 3 July, 7.30pm, £7
King’s Arms Theatre, 11 Bloom Street, Salford M3 6AN
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