Staging string quartets is all the rage.
Fred Ridgeway's Enobarbus is glum, his spirits sinking as his verse soars; the off-stage string music is so weedy that it sounds like mobile phones.
From about 20 00 local time, top bands perform on stages strung out along the 4km-long beach, pumping out a variety of Brazilian and international music.
The weapons are arrayed in rows on the stage -- strings, woodwinds, trumpets, French horns, trombones, kettle drums polished to a military gloss and, most important, the slight but mighty maestro's baton resting on a music stand.
The stage, with strings and brass section, was crowded, and The Who are at their best with room to move.
As Zeffira and her choir made their way to the stage, a string quartet and double bass took over.
Plater and two pals then marched on to the stage in string vests, baggy shorts and false moustaches.
There are a lot of people on this small stage, including string and brass sections and three vocalists.
Given the insubstantial campaigns being run by the majority of the eight contenders on stage, the string of debates have risen in significance as a marketing tool for the candidates.
But he's also published a string of novels as well as a book about environmental activism, invented his own panel show, written sitcoms and theatre pieces, and managed to stage a string of non-stop 24-hour stand-up shows.
An arched opening at the back of the stage is strung with dozens of fine silvery cables that extend over the stage and the audience, creating a tunnel effect and the notion of a spider web in which we are caught along with the dancers.
