The Song Collector

I attended this little gem of a show at the last minute, and happy I did. Through a gentle 30 minutes of video story and sound in a very intimate environment, I was reminded of my earliest memories of song, and how music anchors and connects us to one another and our sense of who we are in the world. As part of a tiny audience, I was invited to be part of the story. After the show, I had a song in my pocket, a few fellow song-lovers I can say hello to, and and a warm, musical light in my heart.

This one never pulled me in. Lots of effort put into the objects around the room (which you are encouraged to explore) but the overall format didn't really work for me. Perhaps it would have been more compelling if there was a live performer instead of just a video of a woman talking? At the end of the 30 minutes you are asked to contribute and exchange a song (you are given pen and paper as you enter the little performance space) which did get us to engage a little bit with the idea of the piece, but it wasn't enough. In the end, I liked the idea behind this piece more than the actual execution.