Genesis’s Prog Rock Masterpiece… On Broadway

For 30 years, Quebec-based group The Musical Box has recreated the spectacular early concerts of prog-rock giants Genesis. “I think these guys play it better than we did,” Genesis drummer-turned-frontman Phil Collins has said of the group.

This week, they present their revival of the operatic 1974 show, “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” in New York — on Broadway — with vintage instruments and the original imagery used by the band.

“It enjoys a cult following and it’s the last contribution of Peter Gabriel In Genesis before Phil Collins took the role of frontman,” explains Musical Box bassist, musical director and founder Sebastien Lamothe. “It is a staged story of a dark and introspective search through the eyes of a delinquent in NYC.”

Ahead of the concerts, Lamothe told Forbes what to expect.

Sebastien, is there a particular highlight of the show you can tell us about?

There are many iconic musical moments such as “Fly on a Windshield” and “In the Cage” which became signature pieces for Genesis, but the most powerful moments I think come when stunning visuals give sense to pieces that might be overlooked on the album like “Waiting Room” and “Colony of Slippermen.”

Genesis’s ingenuity created an unforgettable and intentional tableaux with the means of a 70s production, as opposed to today’s mega productions that feel to me hollow and digested after usage. The effect of this performance is profound — nothing quite like it after almost 50 years.

What are the origins of the group?

We are all from Quebec where prog music and in particular Genesis resonated with the audience. Quebec was actually the entry point for all the British wave of the 70s to America. I had a fascination for early Genesis and, like many, was too young to see it — I had to reproduce it to understand it — and this behind-the-curtain look only enhanced the experience for me and my colleagues.

I think our longevity speaks to the genius of what Genesis created.

Members of Genesis have spoken highly of The Musical Box, is that right?

I think they felt comfortable with our intention of representing them seriously and authentically. As Genesis historians in a sense, our desire to get close to them was not for an autograph but to have answers and access to their history — which was granted to us. We have the original 1975 slides for the “Lamb” show and were invited to listen to the original recording tracks at the Farm, Genesis’s studio at the time.