Basil Twist's Underwater Masterwork SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE Is Now A Film

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE - Basil Twist's now-legendary underwater puppet production set in a 1,000-gallon fish tank - will be released as a film on VIDEO ON DEMAND December 18, it has been announced by Mr. Twist, who makes his full-length film directorial debut. Created for the theater by Mr. Twist in 1998, SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE is set to the celebrated classic score of Hector Berlioz's 19th century composition.

The film of SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE was shot during several live performances in front of an audience in 2018 when Mr. Twist's acclaimed adaptation of SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE was revived at the HERE Arts Center in NYC on the occasion of the work's 20th anniversary. That production marked the first time Twist's creation had been performed to live musical accompaniment; piano virtuoso Christopher O'Riley was the accompanist, and appears in the hour-long film.

Set in a 1,000 gallon glass tank - in which seven unseen puppeteers manipulate hundreds of fabrics, feathers, forms, plastics, colors, shapes, mylar, etc., swirling through water and light - SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE became an overnight sensation when it debuted at HERE Arts Center in NYC in 1998, running two years

Of that production, Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, "SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE is true magic...it is like watching music with your eyes."

The SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE film weaves together the compelling imagery the audiences sees with the dynamic energy of Berlioz's score and the unseen backstage "ballet" of the puppeteers as they work their own magic behind and above the tank.

Written in 1830, SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE was itself considered ground-breaking in its day: performed in five movements, the composition - variously lush, pastoral, playful and frenzied -- was inspired by Hector Berlioz's real-life infatuation with a renowned Parisian opera singer who rejected him.

Mr. Twist's SYMPHONIE began its own journey to the stage in the early 1990's when the renowned puppeteer found a discarded 10-gallon fish tank on the street in NYC. Years later, SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE remains one of the most renowned productions in Twist's repertoire. Twist, in fact, edited the film at the famed Marinelli Studios in Rome while in Italy on a fellowship at The American Academy in 2019. The film debuted that year when Mr. Twist was honored at the World Puppetry Festival in France.

One of the world's most revered and sought-after puppet creators and performers, Basil Twist has created singular works for the theater, ballet and musical performances: THE ADDAMS FAMILY, OH, HELLO ON BROADWAY and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY on Broadway; Paula Vogel's THE LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME, PETER AND WENDY, ARIAS WITH A TWIST Off-Broadway; PETRUSHKA, RITE OF SPRING at Lincoln Center; and works with Gotham Chamber Opera, Houston, Atlanta and Michigan operas; Los Angeles Philharmonic, and works for Joffrey Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, Pilobulos. He has received MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships.

He is currently in Paris making his debut as both opera director and designer with a new, large-scale production -- for which he has designed the sets, costumes and nearly 100 life-size human figure and animal puppets -- of "Titon et l'Aurore" for Paris's Opera Comique under the musical direction of William Christie. Performances January 18-27.

Created by Basil Twist, SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE features Christopher O'Riley. Lighting is by Andrew Hill. Puppeteers are Kate Brehm, Ben Elling, Andy Gaukel, Jonothon Lyons, Rachel Shane, Lake Simons and Patrick Newton. The film is produced by Tandem Otter Productions and Working Pictures.

SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE can be purchased as follows: rent for $20 (48-hour streaming); own for $50 (download). For additional information, visit www.basiltwist.com

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