When I created Brawl At The Hall I had to trust my gut that the absolute ridiculousness of the concept would trump any reservations that audiences, the orchestra, or the wrestlers might have. We had to collectively lean into the spectacle of it. Own it.
There was only ever one conductor who could … ahem … tackle something this wild.
@danielbartholomewpoyser has no fear, responded so enthusiastically, and invested so much into this madhouse.
Full props to Devin and the whole
@wpgpro team for buying in. Every tag team champion is a partnership, and they probably heard the odd voice whispering “guys, this might be terrible”, but they ignored them, believed, and brought the most amazing group of athletes and hijinks. Put their bodies on the line.
A few months into planning … I left the
@wpgsymphony , moved to Banff, and dropped the half-finished plans in
@simeonrusnak ’s lap. (Sorry!) He embraced the challenge and was tasked with taking this to the finish line. Give the man the keys to city, because the WSO nailed it. Look at the faces of the musicians. It takes the right kind of orchestra to embrace something like this.
Winnipeg is a special place full of special people. And this is all very very Winnipeg.
I have never grinned so much at a concert before.
I’ve never seen an orchestra embrace the absurd like this before.
I’ve never seen a guy fly off the top rope, landing on three other guys, right beside the flute section.
So much absolute joy.
These great photos by
@_curtisperry capture so much of the insane, hilarious, rugged, playful, and whimsical spirit of those magical couple hours.
I’m fairly convinced it’s the best idea I’ve ever had, and so glad it could be seen through. The heartiest thanks to Simeon, Daniel and Devin.
Soooooo … world tour??
