Letter to the Editor: See Velvet Gentlemen

On Thursday, May 18, I was present at Third Avenue Playhouse for opening night of Velvet Gentleman, the creation, from conception to execution, of James Valcq. After the show, we made our way slowly to the lobby to look in awe at James, who only moments prior had held us in his thrall, speaking in the voice of Erik Satie, playing his brilliant compositions, becoming the persona who had spoken to him so clearly 25 years ago, and who had evidently taken up residence within James until James could open the door and shine a light on this genius who saw himself so clearly, but was unable to be seen as himself by those around him.

For me, James Valcq’s rendition of Satie’s persona was so encompassing of his time and what we surmise his character to be, that I found myself lingering in the lobby, reluctant to leave the experience behind me. I was still wrapped in the aura of Satie’s 1920s world of lively artistic freedom and experimentation, that aggressive and playful interaction of art and science that fueled so many imaginations then at work in Satie’s Paris. From my musings on Satie’s times and character, I suggest that that genius, in whatever discipline or realm of expression, vibrates at a particular frequency, and I conclude that such a clear evocation of a great genius could be accomplished only by another genius vibrating at that shared frequency. I have often thought I saw flashes of brilliance, even genius, exhibited by James Valcq in his work and works. It wasn’t a fluke. And now, we can watch him freely roam Satie’s life and milieu and deliver it to us, intact, to experience in a way we might never otherwise know.

So go. Sit in the audience. Waft along through time and space and allow yourself the experience of genius, courtesy of James Valcq and Erik Satie.

Laurel Brooks

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.