The OBIE Award-winning abstract puppet piece, Symphonie Fantastique by Basil Twist, will play its final performance on Aug. 22. The show, which was originally slated for a four-week run in May 1998, ended up playing to Standing Room Only crowds for 16 months at NYC's HERE.
The show, of abstract forms and movement, is presented in a 500-gallon aquarium. Twist vows this is the first time an entire puppet show has ever been done underwater. Twist cites influences ranging from painter Wassily Kandinsky, experimental filmmaker Oskar Fischinger, and, of course, composer Hector Berlioz.
Twist is assisted by fellow puppeteers Sam Hack, Chris Hymas and Brian Selznick, as well as by lighting designer Andy Hill.
Previous credits by Twist include the creatures of Tell-Tale and collaborations with Julie Taymor, Theodora Skipitares and Roman Paska.
For tickets ($20-$50) call (212) 647-0202. -- By Sean McGrath