Mark Morris’s The Look of Love Makes NY Premiere at BAM

Mark Morris teams up again with musical collaborator Ethan Iverson for The Look of Love, a wistful and heartfelt homage to the chart-topping songs of Burt Bacharach which premiered at BroadStage, Santa Monica, and garnered acclaim in 2022 at the Kennedy Center. A towering figure of popular music, Bacharach is known for his soaring melodies and unique orchestrations influenced by jazz, rock, and Brazilian music — his longtime lyricist Hal David providing unsentimental, poignant lyrics. The BAM engagement marks The Look of Love’s New York premiere.

With costume design by Isaac Mizrahi and lighting design by Nicole Pearce, these new musical arrangements by Iverson will be performed live by an ensemble comprised of piano, trumpet, bass, and percussion with singer, actress, and Broadway star Marcy Harriell on lead vocals.

The internationally acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) has inspired critics and audiences throughout its 40-year history. Founded in New York in 1980 by artistic director and choreographer Mark Morris, the company has been called “the preeminent modern dance organization of our time” (Yo-Yo Ma), receiving “highest praise for their technical aplomb, their musicality, and their sheer human authenticity” (Bloomberg News). MMDG spent three years in residence at Brussels’ Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie as Belgium’s national dance company, returning to the US in 1991. The group tours domestically and internationally, and is distinguished by presenting live music at every performance, founding the MMDG Music Ensemble in 1996.

MMDG regularly collaborates with eminent musicians across genres, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, jazz trio The Bad Plus, the London Symphony Orchestra, Baroque orchestras Tafelmusik and Philharmonia Baroque, as well as opera companies such as the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. In addition to many appearances at BAM, the Mark Morris Dance Group toured Cambodia, Timor Leste, and Taiwan in 2014 as part of DanceMotion USASM, a cultural diplomacy program of the US Department of State, produced by BAM.

Mark Morris, “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical” (The New York Times), founded the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in 1980. His work is acclaimed for its ingenuity, musicality, wit, and humanity. In addition to creating over 150 works for MMDG, he conducts orchestras, directs opera, and choreographs for ballet companies worldwide.

The Look of Love will be at BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House March 20-23. Tickets start at $25. Click here to book now.

The Look of Love, Jacob’s Pillow 2023, Photo Credit Christopher Duggan