Imagine the scenario: a member of Baltimore's more underground art scene acquires a '60s-style child mannequin and takes him across the country and around the world, photographing the mannequin in a variety of international settings. Then, to top it off, he makes a musical about the whole enterprise and performs it back in Baltimore.
Sound preposterous? Well, as much as I would have to agree, that very musical, Bud, the Musical was performed this past Friday evening at Baltimore's Creative Alliance. The show was comprised of five main players. First, artist D.S. Bakker, the brain behind the Bud phenomenon and Bud's trusty travel companion, narrated the chronology of Bud's journeys through America, Europe and Africa. Lorraine L. Whittlesley composed and performed the show's music, while Joe Wall amused the audience with interpretive dance as the "live" version of Bud. David Crandall made it all happen on the technical end by coordinating the slide show, displaying the photographs of Bud around the world. And finally, of course, there was Bud, the life-sized mannequin, standing proudly at the front of the stage in his blue suit, a quietly ironic smile on his face as if to outline how ridiculous, yet how wonderful, it was that a group of adults should be creating a work centered around him.
The show was part of the Creative Alliance's weekly performance series. Formerly located in Fells Point, the Creative Alliance is a community-based, non-profit organization that hosts art workshops and exhibits, as well as various performances in theater, film, video and music. The Creative Alliance is now located at 413 S. Conkling St. For more information, call 410-276-1651 or check out http://www.creativealliance.org.
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