The Theater Equation
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The Theater Equation is a live album and DVD/BluRay by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive rock/metal rock opera project Ayreon. The Theater Equation consists of a live performance, with cast, choir and small orchestra, of the 2004 album The Human Equation. It marks the first time an Ayreon album was played live entirely, and the first Ayreon live release, although two live albums by other Lucassen projects had previously featured Ayreon songs: Live on Earth by Star One (2003) and Live in the Real World by Stream of Passion (2006). The Theater Equation consisted of four shows, all played in Rotterdam between September 18 and 20, 2015, with the last performance being the one recorded for the album.
Most of the cast of the original album was featured on the tour, including James LaBrie of Dream Theater (Me), Marcela Bovio of Stream of Passion (Wife), former Mostly Autumn member Heather Findlay (Love), Eric Clayton (Reason), and Irene Jansen (Passion).[1] Despite the announcement that he will not take part of the shows due to his reluctance to play live and that he will only support the project as a support advisor, Lucassen was on stage after stepping out of the Dream Sequencer at the very end of the show, thus performing the part of Forever of the Stars. Some other regular collaborators of Lucassen joined the project, most notably Anneke van Giersbergen replacing Mikael Åkerfeldt as Fear.
The project, directed by Lucassen's former manager Yvette Boertje, was originally supposed to be a fan-made project; however, after some of the original cast and musicians showed interest in the project, the organizers decided to make it a greater venture.[2][3]
Synopsis
After a car accident, a man ("Me") falls into a coma, and, in his head, is confronted with his past, his emotions, and his current situation as he lays trapped inside his own mind. The circumstances surrounding the accident are mysterious, as Me ploughed into a tree on a deserted road in broad daylight. Following this, he slips into a twenty-day coma. While each day is represented by a single song on the album the theater show uses stylistic means like several repetitions. Each song follows a slightly different format, though there are major common themes, such as the presence of Me's manifest emotions in his dream world including Fear, Reason, and Pride; the presence of Me's Wife, his Best Friend, a doctor and a nurse at his bedside; and the past events that Me is forced to reflect on.
The plot builds from Me’s early broken state to his eventual rebirth as a new and better man. His own dark past, in which he suffered beneath an abusive Father, was driven to become merciless by school bullies, and eventually betrayed his closest friend for his own benefit; is intertwined with the plot surrounding Wife and Best Friend, eventually revealing the cause of the accident: Me had witnessed the two sharing an intimate moment, and had swerved his car into a tree in his despair. The three eventually come clean and forgive each other, leading Me to conquer his negative emotions and escape his nightmarish prison.
After the final song a computerised voice announces the shut-down of the Dream Sequencer. Later the voice of a Forever (Arjen Anthony Lucassen) then speaks the final words "The Human Equation.... I remember", tying its events into the overall Ayreon plot that began with the album The Final Experiment.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Arjen Anthony Lucassen except where noted; all music is composed by Lucassen
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Day One: Vigil" | 1:45 | |
| 2. | "Day Two: Isolation" | 8:12 | |
| 3. | "Day Three: Pain" | Lucassen, Devin Townsend | 4:50 |
| 4. | "Day Four: Mystery" | 6:05 | |
| 5. | "Day Five: Voices" | 6:52 | |
| 6. | "Reprise Pain 1" | 0:34 | |
| 7. | "Day Six: Childhood" | 5:10 | |
| 8. | "Day Seven: Hope" | 2:22 | |
| 9. | "Day Eight: School" | Lucassen, Townsend | 4:27 |
| 10. | "Reprise Childhood" | 1:08 | |
| 11. | "Day Nine: Playground" (Adaptation of Edvard Grieg's Morning mood) | 2:06 | |
| 12. | "Day Ten: Memories" | 3:52 | |
| 13. | "Reprise Pain 2" | 1:39 | |
| 14. | "Day Eleven: Love" | 4:07 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Day Twelve: Trauma" | 9:41 | |
| 2. | "Day Thirteen: Sign" | Lucassen, Heather Findlay | 5:06 |
| 3. | "Day Fourteen: Pride" | 4:46 | |
| 4. | "Reprise Vigil" | 1:09 | |
| 5. | "Day Fifteen: Betrayal" | 5:09 | |
| 6. | "Reprise School" | 1:24 | |
| 7. | "Day Sixteen: Loser" | Lucassen, Townsend | 4:15 |
| 8. | "Day Seventeen: Accident?" | Lucassen, Devon Graves | 5:16 |
| 9. | "Reprise Pain 3" | 0:53 | |
| 10. | "Day Eighteen: Realization" | 3:05 | |
| 11. | "Reprise Trauma" | 2:14 | |
| 12. | "Day Nineteen: Disclosure" | 3:49 | |
| 13. | "Day Twenty: Confrontation" | 7:27 | |
| 14. | "Dream Sequencer System Offline" | 1:15 |
Sources: [4]
Personnel
Cast
- Returning from The Human Equation
- James LaBrie (Dream Theater) as Me
- Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion) as Wife
- Irene Jansen as Passion
- Magnus Ekwall (The Quill) as Pride
- Heather Findlay (ex-Mostly Autumn) as Love
- Devon Graves (Dead Soul Tribe / ex-Psychotic Waltz) as Agony
- Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) as Reason
- New
- Jermain "Wudstik" van der Bogt as Best Friend
- Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) as Fear
- Mike Mills as Rage and Father
- Anita van der Hoeven as Mom
- Peter Moltmaker as Doctor
- Nienke Verboom as Nurse
- Katinka van der Harst as Nurse
- Arjen Anthony Lucassen as Forever of the Stars
- Epic Rock Choir - backing vocals
Instrumentalists
- Returning from The Human Equation
- Joost van den Broek (ex-After Forever) - musical director
- Ed Warby (Gorefest, Hail Of Bullets) - drums
- Jeroen Goossens - flutes and woodwinds
- New
- Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged) - guitar
- Freek Gielen - guitar
- Johan van Stratum (Stream of Passion) - bass
- Erik van Ittersum - keyboards
- Ruben Wijga (ReVamp) - keyboards
- Ben Mathot - violin
- Maaike Peterse (Kingfisher Sky) - cello
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[5] | 133 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[6] | 193 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] | 69 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 12 |
References
- ^ Cast and Band at the official site
- ^ "The Human Equation Theater Experience - Coming In 2015, Pre-Registration Starts Today". Metal Storm. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/ArjenLucassenOfficial/photos/a.114351896151.107682.109887886151/10153111557441152/?type=3&theater
- ^ "Ayreon - The Theater Equation (Ltd. signed 2CD+DVD Digipak)". InsideOut Music. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ayreon – The Theater Equation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ayreon – The Theater Equation" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ayreon – The Theater Equation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ayreon – The Theater Equation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 June 2016.