Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Matt Ray’s gargantuan score shines in BARK OF MILLIONS, the latest of Taylor Mac’s sprawling creations

• By drediman
• February 7, 2024
• No Comments

Last night at the BAM Harvey Theater, I had the great pleasure of basking in the queer paradise that is Bark of Millions, the latest in Taylor Mac’s line of sprawling musical creations. One of the great experiences of my life was basking in the complete one-day-only performance of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music at St. Ann’s Warehouse. It was legendary to say the least, and memories of the experience are still vividly etched in my mind. It was with great anticipation, therefore, that I approached Mac’s new show, which is being presented by Brooklyn Academy of Music for only a handful of performances this week.

The show is a hard one to classify. Unlike the 24-hour show or even Mac’s recent jazz opera The Hang, there is no defined overarching structure or narrative. As such, Bark of Millions registers as a schizophrenic brew comprised of opera, song cycle, cabaret, musical theater, and of course, performance art. Perhaps best describing the epic evening is that it’s simply a party. Loosely inspired by key figures in queer history (not necessarily figuratively), the piece is in Mac’s own words a “reverse conversion therapy session”, and it strives to turn centuries of strife into uninhibited celebration. The star of the show – and the glue that holds it all together – is frequent collaborator Matt Ray’s gargantuan score (Mac provided the lyrics), which includes no less than 55 new songs spread luxuriously over four intermission-less hours. Both heartfelt and accomplished, the giant cornucopia of songs dazzles with their variety, specific points of view, and instant likability factor. Armed with such ecstatic music, one feels the momentum of the entirety of queer history propelling the show along.

Unlike previous Taylor Mac extravaganzas, the focus of Bark of Millions is less on Mac from a performance standpoint. Before taking center stage more consistently towards the end of the long evening, Mac pretty much holds court off in the sidelines, exulting in the eclectic song stylings of his fellow queers. And what a fabulous, diverse group he’s assembled for this event. Each brings their own energy to the fold, and the collective force of their prismatic performances is irrepressible. Nevertheless, Mac’s electric presence persists regardless of whether the spotlight is on him. Tying the whole thing together visually are Machine Dazzle’s defiantly over-the-top costumes that have fabulous queerness written all over them.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BARK OF MILLIONS
Off-Broadway, Musical
Brooklyn Academy of Music
4 hours, 10 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 10