Poor Grendel's done some performance art... So may you all.

January 8, 2010 12:22 PM

Beowulf, the opera. Hrothgar (YT video, 3:55). The Battle (YT video, 4:13). Grendel and Mother (YT video, 3:43). Zip file (93.7 MB) of the entire show's audio, courtesy of Dave Malloy, the composer who plays King Hrothgar.

New Yorkers interested in seeing the show live: note that there are four performances happening within the next few days on the Lower East Side: January 9th at The Living Room, 11pm; January 10th at Piano's, 10pm; January 12th at Arlene's Grocery, 11pm; January 14th at The Slipper Room, 10pm.

posted by Greg Nog (14 comments total)

Hwæt! It's all in American English!
posted by Smart Dalek at 12:33 PM on January 8, 2010

omg omg omg my beowulf tattoo is burning like the ring on Frodo's finger
posted by zoomorphic at 12:35 PM on January 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

If it ain't in the original Anglo-Saxon then it's all bylscit.
posted by grubi at 12:45 PM on January 8, 2010 [3 favorites]

Man, I love me some Beowulf. I had a Grendel hang up for years. I collected everything Grendel. The Matt Wagner comics (and all related merchandise: statues, shot glasses, masks, figurines, etc. I was a near completist), the John Gardner book, several cartoons, different translations of Beowulf, scholarly works, etc. If it had to do with Grendel I had it.

This all said, I am not sure I can take this. I will give it a fair shot, but that Grendel and Mother clip didn't work for me at all.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:56 PM on January 8, 2010

momus beowulf
posted by vronsky at 1:29 PM on January 8, 2010

mountain goats beowulf
posted by Greg Nog at 1:56 PM on January 8, 2010

Oh no. I read, "Beowulf the Opera" and was thought, "Of course, someone put Seamus Heany to music!" I need a drink.
posted by njbradburn at 3:40 PM on January 8, 2010

I should have provided a link to a review of *Heaney's translation.
posted by njbradburn at 3:43 PM on January 8, 2010

Oh! My friend Gelsey is in this production! Neat!
posted by jrb223 at 4:59 PM on January 8, 2010

I favorited it for the title alone, but after visiting the Grendel and Mother link I wish I could favorite harder. And I hate musicals. Mostly. I would like to see this.
posted by mkim at 7:31 PM on January 8, 2010

Hey Beowulf
posted by Deflagro at 9:31 PM on January 8, 2010

Still holding out for Dream of the Rood: The Hip-Hopera.
posted by No-sword at 5:00 AM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

This show's great. I worked for a while with the guy who wrote it - he plays Beowulf and not only is he a super nice person, he pulls off a sincerely ridiculous epic hero. If you're in NYC, go, go, go. You'll have a good time.

Thanks for posting it, Greg Nog. Cool to see it up here.
posted by lauranesson at 7:01 PM on January 9, 2010

Sunny Day Real Estate's Grendel, because of course Jeremy Enigk would love the John Gardner novel.
posted by zoomorphic at 1:13 PM on January 10, 2010