Six Guitars
Six Guitars
Created by Chase Padgett and Jay Hopkins
Performed by Chase Padgett
Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, Rochester, NY</strong>
Passing though upstate New York, I heard that Chase Padgett had taken his hit Fringe show on the road. He was playing a small venue near downtown Rochester, and preparing for a run at the Edinburgh Fringe. I arrived a bit later than proper, but was snuck into a pitch black room filled to capacity. Onstage Padgett wore a black silk shirt and rotated though the repertoire of six different guitar players who cover the water front – Blues, Jazz, Metal, County, Folk and Classical Spanish. While the script was identical to the Orlando show I was lucky enough to catch, this was Padgett’s 19th performance and he was settling into his characters. Changing between characters is a simple switch of voice and mannerisms and he avoids the cliché of changing hats or God forbid, spinning around to clue the audience that a new guy has replaced the old one.
As the six stories flow, each artist plays samples of their sound and explains why each is the best example of guitarist’s art. Some focus on a single chord for all their work, another creates chords that may not even exist in advanced cheat books. But as each story unfolds, the unity of music reveals itself to the point that even the most hard hearted Black Metal Demon agree that Johannes Sebastian Bach is in the same groove as Ozzie.
In the post show bows, Padgett asks the audience how many people were here because of recommendations from previous nights shows. Exactly zero hands went up, revealing that if nothing else, upstate NY audiences were willing to take chances on unknown acts from distant lands. Audience comments and my own observation shows that what this show needs more than anything else is lengthening: we all want to hear these finger picking wizards get a solo or two. The world is full of platitudes about music bringing us all together, but Padgett has demonstrably pulled the Mods, the Rockers, the long hairs and those guys with the funny hats and big belts into the same room, and made all of them happy. The premise may be a generalization, but the execution is superb. Padgett will be back from Scotland in a few weeks to continue the run and if you’re looking for something exciting and new, head to Rochester – the show is grand and the parking easy.
For more information on Six Guitars, please visit http://www.sixguitars.com
For other events at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, please visit http://www.downstairscabaret.com/</em>
