Mark Morris Dance Group - "Pepperland"

Mark Morris Dance Group in
Morris' Pepperland
Photo Frank Wing

Cal Performances presents
Mark Morris Dance Group
Pepperland
Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

May 9th, 2025

It was a Sgt. Pepper weekend. I listened to The Beatles’ 1967 recording; I watched the 1978 movie and I saw Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pepperland (2017). The original Sgt. Pepper’s record is commonly known as a concept album, meaning that the tracks have some meaningful throughline or connection. Commonalities definitely come through: there’s the notion that the songs are performed by a ‘fictional’ group of musicians, there’s mysticism and there’s plenty of drug culture lyrics and references. The movie features a surprisingly star-studded cast and who’s who of the 1970s music industry - The Bee Gees, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Earth, Wind & Fire, Peter Frampton, Steve Martin, George Burns – and that’s about all it had going for it. Created during a very different era in filmmaking, it’s dated, strange and I’m going to leave it there.

That brings me to Friday evening and the return of MMDG to Cal Performances with Pepperland, Artistic Director Mark Morris’ homage to the Beatles and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I first saw the evening-length work back in 2018. Some seven years later, many of my initial observations held true, while others changed, and significantly so. Perhaps it was the different cast (from the bios, many of the dancers joined the company post-2018). Maybe the fact that, at that time, Pepperland was still fairly new to MMDG’s repertory. Or simply a reflection of how tastes change.

Let’s start with the consistencies. First, Elizabeth Kurtzman’s costume design. 1960s and 1970s esthetics bounded through the space. Jeweled hues and geometrics. Houndstooth, wide-headbands and aviator sunglasses. Babydoll dresses, short vests and turtlenecks. Not only were the clothes a perfect match to the piece, they were also a dream for anyone who loves that era in fashion. Second, the music, and not just the beloved Beatles’ hits. Original elements, composed by Ethan Iverson, were layered with those familiar tunes in a fresh, current and innovative way. Clinton Curtis’ live vocals - another incredible sonic element. Last, some winning Morris comedy. At the beginning, each individual character was introduced to the audience, like an old-school 80s sitcom opening. And there were plenty of humorous gestures, glances and interactions, adding additional light-heartedness to an already entertaining work.

Now to the differences. Back in 2018, I remember feeling that Pepperland’s mood, tone and physical syntax were fairly similar throughout. Kind of chill, laid-back and somewhat understated with lots and lots of walking. At this viewing, I instead noticed a great deal of dynamic range and breadth. Flying and soaring in partnered lifts. Joyful step, kick, jump sequences across the stage. Whirling locomotive phrases. Intense Graham-inspired falls with cupped hands. And of course, the raucous, twisty and deliciously creepy kick line, set to “When I’m Sixty-Four.” The mash-up of time signatures, rhythmical structures and cannoning was so inventively weird, making it impossible to look away. Pepperland still was awash in pedestrianism, but marching, prancing, running and army crawling provided variety and atmosphere. I do still think the middle section, with its mystic, hazy quality, while interesting, lasts much too long.

Mark Morris Dance Group in Morris' Pepperland
Photo Frank Wing

Let’s return to the term ‘concept album,’ where connective tissue binds parts of a whole together. That notion is definitely mirrored in Morris’ choreographic vocabulary. The sagittal tilt is everywhere in Pepperland, acting as almost a home base. We saw it in cabriole, in extension, in leaning, in slides. And that was not the only physical phrase that was ‘peppered’ throughout. Hand/arm sequences wove familiar postures and gestures through the dance’s many different chapters. Goal-post positions, flexed biceps, wave-drawing hands and airplane arms.

So, here are my takeaways from my Sgt. Pepper weekend. Reacquaint yourself with The Beatles’ album. Go and see Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pepperland if it tours through your city. Skip the movie.