Professor Zebulon Volt receives the assignment of a lifetime: to create a mechanical nightingale that will pull Queen Victoria out of her depression.  The real world calls out to him as he pursues his obsession with creating artificial life.

A steampunk riff on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Nightingale.”  I’ll give you three guesses whether Texas is its own country in this world, but that doesn’t matter.  Songbird is gorgeous.  I was surprised how much dance was incorporated into a performance that was billed as a play.  The machines, the toadies at court, even the prostitutes on the Victorian streets all swirled around each other like the players in a ballet.  And the costuming, of course, is beautiful.  One of the tenets of steampunk aesthetic is attention to detail, from the Professor’s artificial hand down to Queen Victoria’s brooch.

The show’s still running until the 25th, so if you happen to be in the Twin Cities area, check it out!  Upright Egg Theater Company for more information.