PEPPERLAND by Mark Morris Dance Group Comes to The Wallis

The Wallis will present “Pepperland” by Mark Morris Dance Group for four performances May 16 – 18, 2025 in Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis).
 
“Pepperland” is choreographer Mark Morris' unique tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a joyous romp through the Beatles' beloved, groundbreaking concept album – a playful and often poignant production bursting with energy and buoyant creativity, brightly colored costumes, and spectacular ensemble numbers.
 
Created at the request of the City of Liverpool to kick off its Sgt. Pepper at 50 Festival in May 2017, the evening-length work features an original score by composer Ethan Iverson interspersing arrangements of “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”, “With a Little Help From My Friends”, “A Day in the Life”, “When I'm Sixty-Four”, “Within You Without You”, and “Penny Lane” with six original Pepper-inspired pieces intended especially for Mark Morris' profound understanding of classical forms: Allegro, Scherzo, Adagio, and the blues.
 
An unprecedented chamber music ensemble of voice, theremin, soprano sax, trombone, two keyboards, and percussion teases out and elaborates on “Sgt. Pepper's” non-rock and roll influences. This colorful new piece resounds with the ingenuity, musicality, wit, and humanity for which the company is known.
 
The work also playfully evokes multiple aspects of the era, with colorful, mod-inspired costumes by Elizabeth Kurtzman, scenic design by Johan Henckens, and lighting design by Nick Kolin.
 
Mark Morris said, “The music for ‘Pepperland', arranged and extrapolating from tracks on The Beatles', ‘Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' is important to me because of the enormous impact the album caused in popular culture at large. ‘Beatlemania' in the UK and particularly in the US was a pivotal event in the turbulent social/political semi-revolution of the late 1960s.”
 
He continued, “As a very young person, I was dazzled and confused by the music. I loved it and I loved The Beatles. Then, over the years, I lost touch and lost interest partly because of overexposure. When I was approached to participate in the commemorative project in Liverpool, I re-examined the recording and found so much of interest in it that I eagerly took on the big project of turning these very familiar songs into an evening length music and dance show. ‘Pepperland' is the exciting result.”
 
Ethan Iverson said, “The ‘Pepperland' score is a suite of chamber music performed by some of New York City's finest iconoclasts. Half the piece is arrangements of the songs we all know, half ise brand new danceable pieces responding to the strong undercurrent of classical music present on the original album.” 
 
Renowned choreographer Mark Morris continued to explore the relationship between movement and music with “Pepperland,” which pays homage to The Beatles' 1967 trailblazing album “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.”  Often hailed as the first-ever "art rock" album, the Beatles' groundbreaking work pushed the recording-studio technology of the late 1960s to the limit and is widely regarded as the best rock n' roll album in history.
 
Mark Swed said in the Los Angeles Times, “… “Pepperland” is “Sgt. Pepper” at 50, looking back with irresistible fondness — what fun it all was — but also with wisdom, knowing that it was real and was something to get hung about. Every single move in the dance is, while being utterly musical, entirely unexpected.”
 
Sarah L. Kaufman said in the Washington Post, “It is first and foremost, an exuberant celebration of the ‘Sgt. Pepper' album.  It rolls at you with wave upon wave of creative wonders and sheer delight and it is utterly mood-improving. It could possibly change the way you look at the world. The overarching sense is that you're hearing and viewing this well-known album through a kaleidoscope.  Chances are you will hate to see it end.”
 
Judith Mackrell said in The Guardian, “Visually, the work is on a cusp between Carnaby Street and Woodstock. Its 15 dancers are dressed in neon-bright suits and miniskirts, and its movement is predicated on a neat, strutting language of disco and jive … Pepperland feels like a gorgeously entertaining and witty homage to its source. It also has just the right amount of sentiment. When Morris allows his dancers to stand and sing quietly along with ‘A Day in the Life,' he shifts the mood to one of pure, tearful nostalgia. Suddenly we're transported back to that moment, 50 year ago.”
 
Rachael Goldberg in BroadwayWorld said, “a bright, vivid performance that's just edging into trippy … the synchronized group dances are only outdone by the staggered dances, which show off the company members' tremendous skill. The fact that they make complicated choreography look so simple and effortless is a testament to their abilities, as the entire performance is demandingly fast and complex. And yet, it's impossible to doubt that each member is clearly having the time of their lives on that stage.  a crowd-pleasing evening of dance and color.”