"Growing up, I wanted to be black. I wanted to feel the rhythms. Africa is like this. There is no distance between the stage and the audience there," he said. He credits Africa for his inspiration by saying simply, "Africa has given me a lot." The Camut Band is on a tear recently, coming from a stay in New York, where their show rode out the Broadway doldrums following the Sept. 11 attacks, receiving rave reviews followed by an equally well-received late-autumn tour of Spain.
This will be the group's first time performing in Asia, which offers interesting opportunities, Espanol said, as well as challenges -- foremost among them getting the audience to understand the troupe's instructions in the parts that require their participation. If rhythm is, indeed, universal there should not be a communication problem.
Aficionados of percussion who were disappointed by the U Theatre's rather soulless recent show Meeting with Manjusri Bodhjsattva or the bloated extravagance of Stomp and its Korean carbon copy Cookin' may find solace in Rhythm is Life. Those who were blown away by those shows, however, would probably feel satisfied by the percussive amalgam is Rhythm is Life. Either way, be sure to wear comfortable sneakers to the show in preparation of some serious foot stomping.
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