Sister Suzie Cinema

1985, 22:33 min, color, sound

A synthesis of video and musical theater, Sister Suzie Cinema is a "doo-wop opera fantasy" about the allure of the movies. This collaboration with theater director/writer/actor Lee Breuer — founding director of the experimental Mabou Mines theater group — and musician Bob Telson features the voices of 14 Karat Soul. Heavily stylized, with elaborate sets and video effects, this production reinterprets the spectacle and artifice of the Hollywood musical using the rhythms and harmonies of soul music.

Director: John Sanborn. Producer: Mary Perillo. Original Poem/Dramatic Conception: Lee Breuer. Teleplay: Lee Breuer, John Sanborn. Music: Bob Telson, Lee Breuer. With: 14 Karat Soul, Ben Halley, Jr., Beatrice Bogorad. Produced by Women's Interart Center and KTCA-TV, Minneapolis.