TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS
PRESENTS

HOLLYWOOD LEGEND
JOHN MALKOVICH
STARRING IN THE TEXAS PREMIERE OF
THE INFERNAL COMEDY
CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KILLER
A stage-play for Baroque Orchestra, two sopranos and one actor

Written and Directed by Michael Sturminger
Featuring John Malkovich with Louise Fribo and Martene Grimson
Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra
Martin Haselböck, music director & music concept
Adrian Kelly, conductor

MONDAY/TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24 & 25, 2011, 8:00 P.M.
AT BASS CONCERT HALL

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
FUSEBOX FESTIVAL AND L STYLE G STYLE

“Hollywood star John Malkovich excels as serial killer Jack Unterweger. A melodic ride to hell with humour and irony.” – Die Presse

“This is a touch of grand opera with a focus on the art of acting.” – Kurier

This performance is made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with additional support from the Dean of the College of Fine Arts and the Executive Vice President and Provost of The University of Texas at Austin.
Texas Performing Arts presents Hollywood legend John Malkovich starring in the state premiere of The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer, a stirring play based on the real-life story of celebrated Austrian author and notorious serial killer Jack Unterweger, October 24 & 25 at Bass Concert Hall. Written and directed by Michael Sturminger, this cutting-edge presentation is propelled by a series of monologues paired with arias by Gluck, Boccherini, and Mozart accompanied by an on-stage Baroque orchestra.

Unterweger, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1976 for murdering a young girl, became a literary celebrity with the publication of his autobiography, Purgatory. Considered a model of rehabilitation, he was paroled in 1990—only to go on to murder 11 more women on two continents. Mysteriously back from the grave for an autobiographical book tour, the notorious womanizer oozes disconcerting charm as he narrates his sordid and shocking history. Each chapter concludes with an aria—eight in all—from Gluck, Mozart, Haydn, Vivaldi and more, sung live by two sopranos—both tempting prospects for Unterweger’s bloodlust.

The narrative is told through monologues, which are illustrated by and juxtaposed with the music, embodying the emotions they explore – joy, hatred, love, grief, desire. Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra (Los Angeles) performs under guest conductor Adrian Kelly. The sopranos’ (Louise Fribo and Martene Grimson) performances provide an inspired counterpoint, providing both a soundtrack to and a deliciously ironic commentary on Unterweger’s disturbing confessions. At times darkly comic, at other times bleak and brutal, The Infernal Comedy is an intriguing and innovative approach to delving into the twisted mind of, as Malkovich puts it, “a bad, bad guy.”

John Malkovich has appeared in over 65 movies. For his work on stage and screen, he has been awarded an Obie (True West), an Emmy (Death of a Salesman) and been nominated for an Academy Award (Places in the Heart). Malkovich is probably best known for the 1999 film Being John Malkovich.

For more information on this engagement, please visit texasperformingarts.org/season/infernalcomedy

CALENDAR LISTING
Monday/Tuesday, October 24 & 25, 2011, 8:00 pm –Texas Performing Arts presents The Infernal Comedy featuring John Malkovich at Bass Concert Hall (E. 23rd St. and Robert Dedman Dr.) A map of the campus: texasperformingarts.org/visit/maps_directions. Tickets ($42 – $52 / Limited $10 student tickets / discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff, seniors and Military) are on sale now at authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew; 512.471.0632 gbartholomew@TexasPerformingArts.org

Download the Infernal Comedy press release – PDF 103KB