Written and composed by 21-year-old Dutch protégé Jochem le Cointre, this is the first ever staged adaptation of Hermann Hesse’s classic novel, originally published in Germany in 1928. The show features a 15-piece chamber orchestra; an ensemble of students from The New School’s College of Performing Arts; a cast of New York City actors and singers, including several from The New School’s Mannes School of Music, School of Drama, and Lang Theater; and dancers from the renowned Martha Graham School. Choreography is byTadej Brdnik, the former principal dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company.
Steppenwolf: A Musical Retelling is the story of a middle-aged author, Harry Haller, who finds himself lost in the world and on the brink of suicide. One night, as he wanders through deserted streets, he notices a strange sign on a wall: “Entrance to Magic Theater.” This curious finding triggers a journey of self-discovery, music, love, dance, sex, war, despair, and humor. Neither the story of a madman nor the saga of a depressed artist, it is “the tale of us all”—a modern myth about the tragic and comic forces of life.
Samantha Tella directs a cast of 17, including Charles Baran, Janaki Gerard, Alexis Di Gregorio, Brandon Grimes, Alex Kidder, Lamin Leroy, Alyssa McGuigan, Erin Miller, Rebecca Monk, Ayelet Porzecanski, Joe Robinson, Joseph Swaggerty, Michael Williams, and Martha Graham Dance School students Raymond Hinds, Jacob Larsen, Cara McManus and Jessica Sgambelluri.
Not since director Fred Haines' 1974 film adaptation, which starred Max von Sydow as the complex central character, Harry Haller, has there been any attempt to adapt the controversial novel. And le Cointre has not confined himself to the usual elements found in musical theatre. Instead, his work features a variety of musical styles, from classical chamber music and gypsy-themed melodies, to tango, and le Cointre's specialty, jazz.