'GENESIS' by The Musical Box to Play State Theatre

Fans of Genesis and The Musical Box have enjoyed the latter's Playhouse Square faithful reenactments of emblematic Genesis albums as theatrical experiences. Now a first: January 28 at Playhouse Square's State Theatre, The Musical Box premieres The Black Show : "Genesis - Selling England By the Pound," a flamboyant visual spectacle that is classic "Peter Gabriel" Genesis.

The visual components, outlandish costumes and spot-on music in The Musical Box's "Selling England By the Pound" takes on a new look with The Black Show... the first time in this area that The Musical Box has presented The Black Show version of Selling England by the Pound. (The Black and White shows feature the same set list but very different stage designs.)

Genesis drummer Phil Collins, (who was also quoted as saying "they played it better than we did") explained, "They're not a tribute band; they have taken a period and are faithfully reproducing it in the same way that someone would do a theatrical production." Genesis has, in fact, supported The Musical Box in many ways. Peter Gabriel said, "The Musical Box recreated, very accurately I must say, what Genesis was doing. I saw them in Bristol with my children, so they could see what their father did back then." Mike Rutherford added, "It was better than the real thing actually."

The Musical Box formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1993 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1973 album Selling England by the Pound, the emblematic 1973 show that made Genesis and Peter Gabriel attain rocks tar status. With Gabriel's famous theatrics and Genesis' unique musicianship, the band's artistry would produce some of the most iconic images and sounds of the progressive rock era (such as the 23-minutes long Supper's Ready, touted as "one of the most intense live experiences ever created")

Exclusively licensed by Peter Gabriel and Genesis, The Musical Box has performed for more than a million spectators across Canada, the U.S., Europe and South America, playing such prestigious venues as the London Royal Albert Hall. They have had the privilege of having been joined onstage by original Genesis members Phil Collins and Steve Hackett as guests during certain concerts.

With its quest for authenticity, The Musical Box is often cited as the best interpretation group in the world, proving the relevance of performing contemporary classics and enjoying a cult following from nostalgic and young music lovers alike.The five-piece band recreates the lighting, costumes and in-between banter of a classic Genesis concert. Genesis has helped The Musical Box's show staging by giving them copies of some 1,200 slides used in original Genesis concerts. They also had access to the original slide operators who helped them put them back (more or less) into the correct order. In addition the band was granted full access to the original album master tapes so they could correctly reproduce the sound live on stage, even though Genesis themselves did not do this.

Tickets for the 8 pm performance of The Musical Box, January 28 at Playhouse Square are $39.75, $35.75, $20 & $10, on sale at playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 and the Ticket Office.

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