Gary Lucas: Too Much Johnson

Friday, January 27, 20178:00 pm

Gary Lucas – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, FX

Roulette presents the world premiere of Gary Lucas’ solo guitar score accompanying Orson Welles‘ rediscovered 1938 surreal silent comedy “Too Much Johnson.” Long thought to be lost, the silent slapstick film was produced and directed by Orson Welles to be integrated into Welles’s Mercury Theatre production of the 19th century farce “Too Much Johnson” by William Gillette. However, due to the absence of projection facilities at the venue, the motion picture sequences could not be shown. The 66-minute print went unseen publicly until its rediscovery in a warehouse in Pordenone, Italy in 2008. For this performance, Lucas will present a score comprised of both composed and improvised elements.

Hailed as “one of the best and most original guitarists in America” by Rolling Stone, Gary Lucas has released over 30 acclaimed albums in a variety of genres. Lucas is a pioneer of  live film scoring, beginning with his 1989 score for the German Expressionist film “The Golem” (1920). He has composed ten live soundtracks to date for both silent and sound films, including the Spanish “Dracula” (1931), Luis Bunuel’s “El Angel Exterminador” (1964), and Carl Dreyer’s “Vampyr.”  A Grammy-nominated songwriter and composer, Lucas has performed in over 40 countries and at international festivals and venues including the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, the Jerusalem Film Festival, the American Film Institute in Maryland, the Havana Film Festival, and more.

 

Gary Lucas at Roulette January 27, 2017

Gary Lucas: Too Much Johnson

Friday, January 27, 20178:00 pm

Gary Lucas – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, FX

Roulette presents the world premiere of Gary Lucas’ solo guitar score accompanying Orson Welles‘ rediscovered 1938 surreal silent comedy “Too Much Johnson.” Long thought to be lost, the silent slapstick film was produced and directed by Orson Welles to be integrated into Welles’s Mercury Theatre production of the 19th century farce “Too Much Johnson” by William Gillette. However, due to the absence of projection facilities at the venue, the motion picture sequences could not be shown. The 66-minute print went unseen publicly until its rediscovery in a warehouse in Pordenone, Italy in 2008. For this performance, Lucas will present a score comprised of both composed and improvised elements.

Hailed as “one of the best and most original guitarists in America” by Rolling Stone, Gary Lucas has released over 30 acclaimed albums in a variety of genres. Lucas is a pioneer of  live film scoring, beginning with his 1989 score for the German Expressionist film “The Golem” (1920). He has composed ten live soundtracks to date for both silent and sound films, including the Spanish “Dracula” (1931), Luis Bunuel’s “El Angel Exterminador” (1964), and Carl Dreyer’s “Vampyr.”  A Grammy-nominated songwriter and composer, Lucas has performed in over 40 countries and at international festivals and venues including the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, the Jerusalem Film Festival, the American Film Institute in Maryland, the Havana Film Festival, and more.

 

Gary Lucas at Roulette January 27, 2017