Imagine wandering through the ruins of a historic, never-used Civil War–era fort on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Against the fort’s weathered bricks are lush, exuberantly growing plants and flowers — beautiful orchids, bromeliads, towering palms and other trees whose leaves, touched by salt breezes, create shifting patches of shadow.
A gazebo stands sentinel at the top of a gentle rise, and a nearby peace garden invites visitors to stay and soak up the natural serenity. From a narrow footpath, it’s possible to see clear blue water stretching to the horizon. Not far away is a huge tree grown over a tunnel-like brick archway; people can walk through it seemingly into the tree itself.
Discover the tranquil waterfront oasis created by the Key West Garden Club on the grounds of historic West Martello Tower. (Photo courtesy of the Key West Garden Club)
The place, an oasis of tranquility beside Key West’s Higgs Beach at 1100 Atlantic Blvd., is known as West Martello Tower. Featuring indigenous plants and rare palm trees, it’s home to the Key West Garden Club. The club has maintained and planted the gardens in the ruins of the fort — which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places — since the 1950s.
Thursday through Saturday, April 13-15, this enchanted locale will be the setting for the world premiere of an innovative professional dance production — with dancers and musicians appearing and performing, like elemental forest spirits, among the foliage.
Called “Key West Reverie,” the site-specific production was conceived, directed and choreographed by New York City’s Wendy Taucher Dance Opera Theater and produced by The Studios of Key West (another wonderful local asset). Intricate, multi-faceted and mesmerizing, it’s described as an impressionistic portrait of the island city.
“The production encapsulates the Key West experience from history and environment to Duval Street,” said Wendy Taucher, an award-winning American director and choreographer who is deeply passionate about her creation.
“Key West Reverie” is designed as a series of vignettes, staged in multiple locations on the grounds of the picturesque fort. And unlike typical theatrical or dance performances, the audiences don’t sit in one place. Instead, they stroll through the grounds — encountering performances while discovering the site’s timeworn brick arches, vivid flowers and plants, natural wonders and secluded nooks.
“Key West Reverie’s” dancers and musicians appear and perform among the fort’s remarkable foliage. (Photo by Nick Doll, courtesy of The Studios of Key West)
“The event has artistic and popular elements, stars from Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera, and a mix of musical and movement styles,” Wendy explained.
In fact, the cast is as unique as the production’s backdrop. It features world-renowned dancers, musicians and vocalists as well as talented Key West professionals and volunteers.
Chief among them is Karine Plantadit, a Tony Award–nominated dancer and actress who is a former soloist with the incomparable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Musical masters include violinist Eric Silberger, a winner of the prestigious XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011, and widely acclaimed Metropolitan Opera singer Stefan Szkafarowsky.
Only five performances of this sure-to-be-stunning production will be staged within the sheltering grounds of the fort: at 5:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 13 and 14, and at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 15. A special reception with Wendy Taucher and the cast is planned after Saturday night’s closing show.
Don’t miss this magical blend of dance, music, history and sheer natural beauty. Click here for tickets to “Key West Reverie.”
