Jan 16—27, 2019
The End of TV
MANUAL CINEMA
A quest for connection amid the static.
Back by popular demand after enchanting Boston audiences in 2018, Manual Cinema returns with another feat of innovative, cinematic storytelling. The End of TV depicts the promise and decline of the American rust belt through the stories of Flo and Louise, both former employees of a local auto plant. Flo is an elderly white woman succumbing to dementia as the memories of her life become tangled with television commercials and the “call now” demands of QVC. Louise, a young black woman, meets Flo when she takes a job as a Meals-on-Wheels driver. An unlikely relationship grows as Flo approaches the end of her life and Louise prepares for the invention of a new one.
In The End of TV, the ingenious artists of Manual Cinema cast a theatrical spell through live-action silhouettes, video feeds, overhead projection and a five-piece band performing an original score. Set in the 1990’s, the show is awash in the decade’s nostalgia, delightfully recreating the ubiquitous media that was pumped into homes across the country. The story of Flo and Louise’s friendship dovetails the Technicolor promises of TV advertisements and the decline of a Midwestern town to weave a portrait of true human connection.
Info
Venue
Emerson Paramount Center
Robert J. Orchard Stage 559 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
“INGENIOUS AND SPELLBINDING”
— The Boston Globe
“I watched, mouth nearly agape, as the heights of emotion were conveyed through the essence of storytelling: Image and song. Although it’s all far more ingenious than that. I can’t believe how captivating it was, how emotional it was.”
— Jared Bowen, WGBH
“Creative, unique, fascinating, humorous and touching, this is a work that will capture your heart.”
— Boxing Over Broadway
“Brilliant cinematic storytelling…another feat of extraordinary and highly creative artistry.”
— Boston and Beyond
“REVELATORY”
— The Arts Fuse
“UNUSUAL AND STUNNING”
— Capital Critics Circle
“Quite unlike anything I have seen on stage.”
— The Theatre Times
★★★★☆
— Dig Boston
“Visually stunning…. you should grab the opportunity to experience this one of a kind group while they are in Boston.”
— Edge Media Network
“A beautiful and transfixing examination of the effects of the industrial age.”
— Chicago Reader
“CHICAGOANS OF THE YEAR: Manual Cinema have created a whole new art form.”
— Chicago Tribune
“This is a company used to stitching together new works out of disparate parts and used to being surprised, pleasantly, by what it has made.”
— The New York Times on Manual Cinema's "Frankenstein"
“Manual Cinema has long been based in Chicago, but the word is very much out nationally…”
— The Chicago Tribune
“The End of TV’s artistry is awesome. Its impact is profound, unique, indescribable.”
— Hartford Content
“A fascinating theatergoing experience blending live music, old TV video clips and shadow puppetry.”
— New Haven Register
“The audience gets to experience . . . a moment of live artistic creation, playing out on the stage in front of them, with little to hide and lots to show.”
— The New Haven Independent
“Akin to a behind-the-scenes look of the making of a movie, with the film itself made in real-time.”
— Hyperallergic
“The overhead projector is relevant again! Thank you ArtsEmerson for bringing Manual Cinema to Boston. Especially enjoyed the music in this show.”
— @_wickedstage
“Blessings on Manual Cinema for making the most beautiful, affecting theater and many thanks to ArtsEmerson for continually bringing them back to Boston!”
— @Khemingway
“It’s magical!”
— Harold Rudolph on Facebook
“I was mesmerized…definitely see it while it’s in Boston!!”
— Matthew Tambiah on Facebook