Sally Tomato's Toy Room, a place in your mind...
The multimedia rock opera created by the writing team of Sally Tomato, Carlos Severe Marcelin, and Eric Flint premiered in Portland, Oregon in April 2008.
Innocence lost is seldom regained. But in Toy Room, a rock opera in four acts, lyricist, vocalist and songwriter Sally Tomato invites the audience to join her in an epic biographical journey – one that may not restore childhood’s direct simplicity but whose destination offers at least the hope of coping with life as it is – or could be.
In Toy Room, Sally Tomato (the individual and her eponymous band) brings together an assemblage of talented performers and designers to offer a glimpse into an evocative space in a young woman’s mind. As we see her life unfold and childhood slips inexorably away, Sally hurtles into the hectic reality of adult life. We watch as she trades the suffocating bonds of a controlling husband for the wild abandon of a life unleashed. As Sally succeeds in rising above the core mundanity of her life through the use of her imagination, we are all asked to find the toy room in our own minds.
The February release of the soundtrack to this groundbreaking piece of multimedia performance art prepared audiences for the April opening of this ambitious dramatic work. The writing team of Sally Tomato, Carlos Severe Marcelin and Eric Flint traverses an expansive range of musical genres while holding firm to the band’s alternative rock roots. Toy Room stands on its own as a piece of musical inspiration and it shines in live performance.
Primary songwriter Carlos Severe Marcelin is both composer and performer here, putting his mark on a richly orchestrated soundscape. Drummer Eric Flint’s technical strengths allow him to enrich the opera’s rhythms with subtle nuance and finesse. And Sally Tomato’s powerful and intimate delivery makes the tale about the defining moments in her life all the more revealing.
The stage version of Toy Room calls on a host of artists in different media. Toy Room is performance art that integrates music, film, dance, and set design to provide a thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining experience for local audiences and listeners near and far.
A DVD and feature-length film of Toy Room are planned for Fall 2008.
Creative members of the Development Team include Wesley J. Turner (Director, Video Producer/Development), Cynthia R. Chimienti (Choreography/Stage Director/Development/Destiny), Stephen Phyllop Clarke (Development), Barry D. Kaine (Development), and Jonas Nash (Set Design). The cast includes Trisha Beck (Innocence), Drew Norman (Husband) and other local talent.
Produce Toy Room in your city by contacting Severe Publishing.