small stage of the Stadttheater Minden, beginning in 2015 with Das Rheingold, followed by the other parts in the succeeding years, and culminating with the complete cycle performed twice in 2019. The stage director was Gerd Heinz, and Frank Beermann conducted the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, playing at the back of the stage. The singers acted in front of the orchestra, making an intimate approach to the dramatic situations possible. The project received international recognition. Recordings of the Ring cycle Other treatments of the Ring cycle Orchestral versions of the Ring cycle, summarizing the work in a single movement of an hour or so, have been made by Leopold Stokowski, Lorin Maazel (Der Ring ohne Worte) (1988) and Henk de Vlieger (The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure), (1991). English-Canadian comedian and singer Anna Russell recorded a twenty-two-minute version of the Ring for her album Anna Russell Sings! Again? in 1953, characterized by camp humour and sharp wit. Produced by the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, Charles Ludlam's 1977 play Der Ring Gott Farblonjet was a spoof of Wagner's operas. The show received a well-reviewed 1990 revival in New York at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. In 1991, Seattle Opera premiered a musical comedy parody of the Ring Cycle called Das Barbecü, with book and lyrics by Jim Luigs and music by Scott Warrender. It follows the outline of the cycle's plot but shifts the setting to Texas ranch country. It was later produced off-broadway and elsewhere around the world. The German two-part television movie Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King (2004, also known as Ring of the Nibelungs, Die Nibelungen, Curse of the Ring and Sword of Xanten), is based in some of the same material Richard Wagner used for his music dramas Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. An adaptation of Wagner's storyline was published as a graphic novel in 2018 by P. Craig Russell. References and notes Sources Further reading Besack, Michael, The Esoteric Wagner: An Introduction to Der Ring des Nibelungen, Berkeley: Regent Press, 2004 . Di Gaetani, John Louis, Penetrating Wagner's Ring: An Anthology. New York: Da Capo Press, 1978. . Gregor-Dellin, Martin, (1983) Richard Wagner: His Life, His Work, His Century. Harcourt, . Holman, J. K. Wagner's Ring: A Listener's Companion and Concordance. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 2001. Lee, M. Owen, (1994) Wagner's Ring: Turning the Sky Round. Amadeus Press, . Magee, Bryan, (1988) Aspects of Wagner. Oxford University Press, . May, Thomas, (2004) Decoding