Patti Smith’s ‘Woolgathering’: A Spoken-Word Opera Experience

Exploring “Woolgathering”: Patti Smith’s Spoken-Word Opera

ā€œWoolgatheringā€ is a captivating collection of prose poems authored by the iconic Patti Smith, renowned for her influence as a singer-songwriter and punk pioneer. Released in 1992, this slim volume serves as a poignant memoir reflecting on the intricacies of childhoodā€”specifically, the imaginative realm often inhabited by poets. Smith eloquently notes, ā€œThe mind of a child is like a kiss on the forehead ā€” open and disinterested.ā€ This notion encapsulates the essence of childhood, which is often ā€œmystified by the commonplaceā€ and effortlessly ventures into the realm of the extraordinary, as it captures fleeting moments and assembles ā€œa crazy quilt of truths.ā€

Recently, the musician Oliver Tompkins Ray has transformed ā€œWoolgatheringā€ into a unique spoken-word opera, which made its debut at the Baryshnikov Arts Center this week. In this innovative adaptation, Smith recites selections from her text, while Ray provides a blend of live music and choreography, skillfully crafted by John Heginbotham.

On stage, Smith is positioned on a chair at the center, calmly reading from a music stand. Behind her, a clothesline supports a single white sheet, creating a minimalist backdrop. Two dancers from Dance Heginbotham gracefully navigate the space around her, while Ray, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and electronic elements, sits to one side, joined by a violinist and a pedal steel guitarist. To the audience’s delight, thereā€™s also a surprise guest making an appearance.

While Ray conceived and directed the production, the score itself tends to be the least attention-grabbing element of the performance. Aside from a brief, somewhat out-of-place segment featuring a drum machine, the music primarily serves as atmospheric background, rich in drones and bell sounds, over which the violinist, Cornelius Dufallo, occasionally plays delicate, sparse melodies.

Smith’s recollections of her childhood are steeped in a rural essence. As she reminisces about a barn dance, Ray enhances the moment with a subdued echo of a traditional reel or hoedown, complemented by the sweet tones of Connor Gallaherā€™s pedal steel guitar. When she speaks of the ethereal music of the woolgathersā€”spirits she perceives in a fieldā€”Ray creates a sparse soundscape that evokes a sense of openness and tranquility.

The dance segments are where the action truly flourishes. Mykel Marai Nairne and the seasoned dancer Gerald Casel showcase their exquisite delicacy and grace through movement. Choreographer Heginbotham assigns them simple motifs that seamlessly develop, reflecting the vivid imagery found in Smithā€™s narrative. Tender gestures, such as the touching of foreheads, symbolize the ā€œcommunion of love of innocenceā€ shared among Smith and her siblings. As Casel and Nairne move toward the audience, he follows behind her, peeking out in a captivating pendulum-like motion.

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