WIU Dance & Theatre Presents Bach at Leipzig Feb. 19-21
If you were a rigorous musician with a sound like no other, would you use bribery, blackmail and betrayal to secure your career? For a young Johann Sebastian Bach, the path to greatness was paved with more than just luminous melodies. The Western Illinois University Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Bach at Leipzig,” a high-stakes comedy following the legendary composer’s cutthroat rise to fame. Performances run at 7:30 p.m. nightly from Thursday, Feb. 19, through Saturday, Feb. 21, at Simpkins Theatre.
Set in Leipzig, Germany in 1722, the story begins with the sudden death of Johann Kuhnau, the revered organist of the Thomaskirche— the very church where Martin Luther once preached. The vacancy leaves a coveted post and a town council desperate for a replacement.
While history remembers Bach as a transcendent and architectonic genius, this play finds him as a cerebral and hungry competitor willing to do whatever it takes to win. He faces a field of rivals who care more about gold and status than the devotional power of the pipe organ. In this “sacred playground,” the audience is left to wonder: How far will a genius go for a paycheck?
Written by Itamar Moses and directed by DC Wright, “Bach at Leipzig” explores the intersection of religion, greed and the morality of ambition. Tickets are $5 for the public and free for WIU students, faculty and staff with a valid ID. Reservations can be made at westernpresents.com, by calling 309-2982900 or by visiting the WIU Box Office in Hainline Theatre.
