Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale

In presenting a fresh version of The Soldier’s Tale, choreographer/director Jody Oberfelder places this post-World War I story–originally sourcing two Russian folktales–in a modern world. The dramatic trajectory of the tale is conveyed through acrobatic physicality of the
characters and the distinct storytelling of the narrator. Without changing the basic plot or
existential journey of the Soldier, Oberfelder has contemporized librettist C.F. Ramuz’s text to
convey an environment strikingly familiar to us all. Instead of arriving home along a winding
road, he arrives at the airport. Later, he meets the Princess by participating in the reality show,
"Who Wants to Marry an Heiress?" He is a hapless Everyman equipped with human foibles,
marching on and on. He attempts to find his footing, but becomes foiled by the slippery
seductions of ephemeral happiness presented to him by a nemesis (the Devil) in various guises.

Vaudevillian spectacle and drama are served up through vibrant physicality in this dancedthrough
production, with Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects performers: Jake Szczypek as the
Soldier, Rebekah Morin as the Devil, and ChristinaNoel Reaves as the Princess. Christian
Coulson, acclaimed actor for the screen, stage and television, previously seen onscreen in Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Hours, and Gossip Girl, joins the cast as Narrator.