A bright beam swept the night skies of Britain’s East Anglia for decades, looming large in genius-musician Thomas Dolby’s memories of childhood. It was doomed to darken, it’s supporting tower about to literally crumble into a sea that will eventually claim Dolby’s ancestral land, as well.
This poignant aspect of Dolby’s homecoming — after spending much of the last 20 years in America — was the impetus of his astounding 2013 short film, The Invisible Lighthouse. Always one for a challenge, Dolby soon placed his acclaimed indie at the center of a touring “transmedia” stage show, which is currently visiting historic theaters across the U.S.
“At first, it was just me in front of the screen, narrating and singing songs,” Dolby recently explained to East Portland Blog. “As you’ll see from the show now, it’s expanded quite a bit. I’ve a second performer on stage, Blake Leyh, a (film) sound designer who does live foley effects as well as play guitar. We’ve also programmed lights, haze machines, revolving beacons and other things into the show.”
“It’s a managed theatrical experience,” he added, “where one’s attention is drawn from the screen to the live performance and back again in a very deliberate way. I think it’s a powerful performance… audiences so far seem to be very taken with it.”
Throw in the performance of classic Dolby songs afterwards, and a Q&A session with a different co-host in each city (Northwest-spawned multi-talent Reggie Watts joined Dolby onstage in NYC), and “very taken with it” is quite an understatement.
Even if an evening began with a guitar seminar by Johnny Marr and concluded with a duet with Macklemore, the film at the show’s center — which includes music from Dolby’s amazing 2011 album, A Map Of The Floating City — would remain it’s crown jewel. Encompassing a famous UFO encounter, a one-man amphibious raid on a government installation, a tantalizing career retrospective, revelations of remarkable family history — not to mention some pretty poignant musings on life, and the sea — The Invisible Lighthouse packs a lot of thought-provocation into a short reel.
Though the semi-documentary features British lore, and of course, British geography, it’s also a subtly ingenious vehicle for exploring some pretty universal and profound themes.
“My story is a little story, but it seems to resonate with people from different countries, of different backgrounds, different ages,” producer/director/star Dolby observed. “I think the film is impressionistic enough that people sort of squint and superimpose their own experience upon mine. People have a symbolic building, mountain, coastline, park or some other landmark that is wrapped up in their childhood memories. I think audiences tend to find a resonance (with the film), in that respect.
“I have heard comments like, ‘Wow, I thought I was an Anglophile, I’ve visited England three times, but I’ve never seen anything like the coast where you live,’ he added. “And that’s right; it’s not a destination that you would put on your (travel) schedule. It’s not the side of Britain that we generally export to America. I think that helps make (the film) interesting, and I feel it’s historically interesting, as well… because of the coast’s wartime connections, the (Orfordness) UFO sighting, and so on.”
“Interesting?” More understatement. More than 30 years since he began blinding audiences with his brilliance — and with a little science — Thomas Dolby keeps challenging himself — and thrilling fans, both of the new and old varieties, in the process. His semi-comeback to the entertainment business — launched in earnest a few years ago — has been truly unique, and quite remarkable; this latest chapter is an essential experience for anyone who has marveled at, or was curious about, this original steampunk’s wondrous world.
Thomas Dolby’s Invisible Lighthouse Tour stops at Seattle’s Showbox Theater on Nov. 18, and at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland on Nov 19.
