Heart of Darkness

Based on the Novella by Joseph Conrad, and pulling upon illustrations by Matt Kish, Opera Parallèle's American premiere of Tarik O'Regan's Heart of Darkness opened on May 1st in San Francisco's Z-Space Theater. Directed by Brian Staufenbiel Conducted by Nicole Paiment Original Artwork by Matt Kish "The very use of projected color adds not simply a filmic quality but also vibrancy to the art. Transitions from the black-and-white images of the Thames to the lush green and yellow of the Congo were created by circles of images that would appear, expand and multiply across the surface of the screen. The effect was like raindrops falling on the surface of the world, transforming it from the dull white of fog and industry into saturated colors of fecund leaf and flower. Even so, the circles retained a geometric simplicity in keeping with the original illustrations. My hat goes off to the media guys for retaining the integrity of the images during their metamorphoses into stage media." - Bachtrack